Phoenix Rising
by Kai Maciel
Summary: During Naruto's final battle against Sasuke, Itachi uses the power he gave him to clean Sasuke's soul and body from darkness by turning him into a newborn baby with no memories of his past. For how long can Naruto keep this a secret?
1. Prologue: Dream's End

**I've been thinking of writing this story for a while, but I lacked both the time and the inspiration to think of a decent plot. Any ideas or constructive criticisms would be appreciated. I'll try to keep the characters as "in character" as possible. Obviously, that can't happen for Sasuke but I'll give my best not to make him very OOC. I've found several stories with this plot but none with the direction I'll make this story go, which I hope it will be very interesting and different. **

**Also, I'm Portuguese so English is not my native language even though I've been learning it since I was seven. If I made any mistakes please forgive me and inform me, I'm trying to improve it. Well... enjoy!**

**PS: This is not yaoi**

**I do NOT own Naruto.**

* * *

**Dream's End**

夢の終わり_ (Yume no owari)_

When Tsunade announced the death of Uchiha Sasuke, the whole room was filled with silence.

All ninjas in the room knew that, eventually, Sasuke would be killed, but the news were still a shock. Especially for those who had graduated with him.

Shikamaru sighed deeply and watched Ino cry softly while Choji stroke her back. Not far behind them, Neji and Tenten stared solemnly at the Hokage with a resigned expression. As for Lee, he could only stare at the floor.

Shino remained impassive and Kiba glanced at Hinata who could not disguise the pain she felt for Naruto and the rest of Team 7.

Kakashi placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder and looked at her sorrowfully. Both knew that the death of Sasuke could not be avoided, nevertheless meant the end of the original Team 7. Never again would all be together, never would they complete more missions together ... The dream that they had tried to achieve for nearly four long years of hard work had died during the first hours of the morning of July 23. By the hand of Uzumaki Naruto.

The person who had endeavored so much to bring Sasuke back, who never stopped believing in him ended up being forced to be his executioner.

Sakura felt her eyes burn and throat tightened at the thought that Naruto would have to bear that burden for the rest of his life, and could not help but feel guilty. After all, she herself had been unable to kill the former teammate.

Sai and Yamato remained slightly apart from Sakura and Kakashi, knowing that nothing they say could comfort them. They needed time to mourn the death of Sasuke before they could continue with their lives.

After warning all these ninja, Tsunade dismissed them and returned to her new cabinet. When Shizune asked her if she needed anything she asked her to fetch some reports. When the assistant left, Tsunade took the letter she received from Naruto and burned it. Then she invoked the frog that had brought her the letter and gave him the letter she had written in secret.

* * *

Thousands of miles from Konoha, Naruto had just read the letter that Tsunade had sent him. After burning it, he sighed with relief. Everything had gone as planned.

He knew that right now, the name of Sasuke Uchiha was being erased from the Bingo Books around the world. The villages would cancel the orders of his capture and assassination and, over the years, they would forget him and the crimes he had committed.

Naruto felt guilty as he remembered his team and all the friends he had left in Konoha. He sincerely was hoping that Sakura was not crying. He knew she was stronger than she looked and would eventually move on, as she did when Sasuke betrayed Konoha when they were children.

Naruto knew he would not be able to return to Konoha so early or even have contact with the companions he had left. After all, he had lied to them.

Beside him, lying on the sheets of an old futon of the small room of the inn he was staying, Sasuke was fast asleep.


	2. Decision

**I got reviews! People are reading my story! It makes me so happy! Thanks!**

**As promised, here's the second chapter. I decided to split my original chapter in two because it would end up way too long. ****Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

**Decision**

決定_(Kettei)_

_Several months earlier_

Uzumaki Naruto woke up from his nap due to a mighty bang on the wall of his apartment. The building next to his was still being rebuilt after Pain's attack and the constant noise irritated Naruto to no end. All he wanted was a nap!

Cursing to himself, the blond slowly got from his bed and went to the balcony. The sun was about to go down and the sky was changing into a bluish pink color. The streets of Konoha were still filled of people: men having cold drinks, women shopping and chattering and children playing. Naruto couldn't help to smile at a group of little boys who talked excitingly about how they were going to be ninjas.

"I'm going to be super strong!" yelled one of them. "Just like the Sannin! Everybody is going to know my name!"

"Baka! You're not even in the academy yet!"

"I'm going to do it! You'll see!"

"My Nii-san said that I'm very good at throwing shurikens" said one of them, glowing with pride. "I'm going to be great shinobi just like him and Otou-san."

Another kid jumped in front of his friends and spread his arms.

"I want to be a great ninja hero" he said "Just like Naruto-sama!"

The other boys started laughing claiming that there was no way he could be that strong.

"Naruto-sama saved the WORLD! My Tou-san said he is the most powerful ninja in the world! There is no way you can be like him"

"Nuh-huh!"

"Naruto-sama is going to be next Hokage! So stop saying stupid things!"

Naruto laughed a bit as the kids disappeared behind a corner. Konoha was still being rebuilt after Pain's attack but, fortunately, the village didn't suffer any heavy damages during the Fourth Ninja War. He had managed to keep it safe.

Madara was dead. Akatsuki was disbanded. Kabuto disappeared…

Sasuke…

Naruto's eyes became empty, remembering his former comrade. He came back to his room, sat at the edge of his bed and picked up his favorite photo. Unlike reality, pictures don't change regardless of the passage of time.

"_Sasuke… I really wished I could've saved you…"_

His fight against Sasuke was the most difficult and intense battle that he had ever had. When Naruto claimed victory, Sasuke was lying down on the floor baffled, unable to believe that he had been defeated by the Dobe he always loathed.

Naruto had reached out his hand to Sasuke, filled with hope that he had saved him from his hatred, his darkness… By acknowledging his strength he was sure Sasuke would realize Naruto's friendship. Instead, Sasuke glared at him, his eyes filled with murderous rage and shame before disappearing into the woods.

And Naruto… had let him go.

As an international criminal, Sasuke was searched for months by every single village in the world. Their orders were to kill on sight, but Sasuke was never found, it was like he had vanished from the face of the Earth. Until two months ago…

"Guren-san! Let's go eat something!" yelled a familiar child's voice from outside.

"Calm down… We'll eat in a second."

Recognizing the voices, Naruto left his house and ran into the packed street. Walking not too far from him, he saw them.

"Guren! Yukimaru!" cried the blond ninja, running towards them.

Guren looked surprised before giving Naruto a wide grim, Yukimaru merely smiled happily.

"Well, well… long time no see" said the proud woman, while holding Yukimaru's hand gently at the same time.

"Naruto-san!" exclaimed Yukimaru.

"It's nice to see you at last!" declared Naruto remembering the last time he had seen Guren: falling into a lake surrounded by her own crystal. "You guys really scared me."

"I'm sorry Naruto-san… We didn't mean to scare you…" Yukimaru looked truly upset.

"Bah! It's okay! I'm just glad you're fine!"

Guren smirk grew even more. "Still the same idiot!"

"So what brings you guys here? Are you sightseeing?" asked Naruto, curious. Guren and Yukimaru looked at each other, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked.

"We… We came to Konoha to deliver some information" explained Guren. "We just came back from your Hokage's office."

Naruto blinked.

"Information? About what?"

Guren sighed loudly.

"About Uchiha Sasuke …"

Naruto felt his heart beat faster and his mouth became dry.

"How many did he… kill this time?" he asked.

Guren looked Naruto in the eyes and paused. How could she tell him this?

"About 300 villagers and a few ninjas… "

Naruto felt his eyes burning. 300? It was even more than the last time!

"We were passing by when we saw the survivors trying to flee from the village. I told Gozu to look after Yukimaru and I went there. The Uchiha… he was… laughing around the corpses, screaming your name."

Naruto gulped. _"Not again…"_

"He also appeared to be talking to his brother and parents like they were there cheering him on… Then… he dismembered a child… I hope she was already dead…"

Naruto couldn't hear it anymore; he didn't want to hear more. But he had to, he had to know Sasuke's atrocities because… Sasuke was killing_ because _of him.

"I am so sorry Naruto."

It wasn't hard to notice that Sasuke was responsible for the obliteration of the villages. He was recreating the Uchiha Clan Massacre in each one, and taking great pleasure with it. Most wounds had been done by the Chidori; Kakashi had made the observations himself. The jutsu he had created to protect loved ones, was now being used to destroy them. Naruto knew his sensei felt guilty for teaching Sasuke the jutsu he used to end so many people's lives.

"_But not as guilty as I am."_

Sasuke was trying to draw him into battle. The accounts of survivors of the twelve villages that he had wiped out were essentially all the same: a red-eyed boy had entered the village and declared that he would reduce it to dust. When villagers tried to attack, he killed them before engaging with all others. Men and women, young and old, nothing stopped the Uchiha, all who crossed his path got killed by being stabbed by his Chidori, burned alive or crushed by a black monster that engulfed him like a protective demon, Susanoo.

And Sasuke would just laugh. The boy that Naruto thought and admired like an older brother, for whom he would willingly give his own life, had become a monster. Sasuke screamed for Naruto while killing, declaring that he was the strongest, that Naruto was a coward, a weakling who had managed to win out just by a matter of luck.

"You see Naruto?" he shouted with a devilish smile disfiguring his once attractive face. "You were never stronger! Never! Come fight me and I'll show you! COME AND FIGHT ME, MOTHERFUCKER!"

Naruto had wanted to intervene but Tsunade would not let him, it was too dangerous and would be giving Sasuke exactly what he wanted: attention and sense of power over him. Other ninjas had intervened, not only from Konoha but from all villages known. The death toll rose, insanity gave strength to the last Uchiha alive.

Naruto couldn't take it anymore. After saying goodbye to Guren and Yukimaru, went directly to the new office of the Hokage. The building was very similar to the previous one and still smelled of fresh paint, but Naruto was so fixed that he didn't even noticed it's new look or the curious stares of the ninjas who he crossed paths with. At the Hokage's door, he opened it with a bang.

Tsunade and Shizune were in the office, both surrounded by mountains of documents that threatened to fall upon them like an avalanche of white papers. Seeing the young blond, Tsunade frowned angrily.

"Naruto! What is the meaning of this?" she shouted intensely, while Shizune flinched.

"Baa-chan... I can't sit back any longer! I'm going to find Sasuke, even if it is without your permission!"

Tsunade leaned back in her chair and huffed irritably. She had a feeling that Naruto would show up today.

"We've had this conversation, Naruto" she said, trying to keep herself calm. "Am I just supposed to let you go and fight him?"

"I'm the only one who can defeat Sasuke!" Naruto replied. "You said it yourself."

"But you want to defeat him _alone_! Can you imagine the stupidity of what that means? "

"Sending more ninjas against him will only result in more dead... Sasuke... Sasuke is my responsibility; I want to deal with him alone."

Tsunade rested her elbows on the table and looked Naruto in the eye. The boy had grown, there was no doubt about that, nevertheless Naruto was still a boy, and boys make mistakes.

"Are you able to kill him, Naruto? Would you accept the mission to eliminate Sasuke Uchiha? "

Naruto gulped. The question hit him like a slap. _Could he kill Sasuke?_

During the war he had been as close to die as to kill his best friend, and he knew he would be able to get both. But going after Sasuke now would not be a mission to convince him to return home… he had no home, too many crimes had been committed. The whole world wanted to see him burn ... and he would not stop until the whole world burned.

Naruto imagined his original dream, Team 7 gathered laughing together, preparing for a new mission. Kakashi-sensei with his pornographic book in hand, Sakura-chan among them smiling, Naruto always trying to draw attention to him while Sasuke called him _Usuratonkachi_. They should all be Chuunins by this now; Sasuke would probably be a Jonin. They would have the longest record of successful missions, Sasuke would eventually rebuild his clan, Sakura would become the best medical ninja on Earth and Naruto would be named Hokage.

That was how things should have happened...

Remembering the old team, Naruto finally realized the harsh reality. He had been so stupid, so naive. Itachi was right; he was just a child full of impossible dreams.

_"The Sas__uke I knew will never come back... the hatred of the Uchiha consumed him completely."_

"So… Naruto?"

Naruto glanced up and stared at the Hokage with a dejected determination.

"Yes Baa-chan. I accept. "

* * *

**There... what do you think? I admit there isn't much action on this chapter but I think I should give Naruto a bit of a back story. The first chapter was a prologue, a glimpse of a near future if you like.**


	3. Reborn from the ashes

**Hey there again! Like I said, this chapter is a lot longer. I don't think I can make all chapters as long as this one, some will be shorter others will be longer. Also, I love my reviewers, thank you all for your support.**

**Alert: Sasuke's swearing (which is happening a lot in the manga lately... well acording to Mangastream), a bit of gore (I was reading a Stephen King novel today... he inspi****red me to it) and a detailed age regression.**

**Warning: Spoilers about recent chapters.**

**I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

**Reborn from the ashes**

リボーン灰の中から _(Hai no naka kara umarekawaru)_

It was nearly five o'clock when Naruto woke up from a restless sleep filled with nightmares. Unhappy, he sighed, got dressed and had breakfast although the food insisted on getting stuck in his throat.

His humble baggage consisted of a backpack with a few changes of clothes, some food, a blanket, several scrolls, and some weapons.

After finishing breakfast, Naruto grabbed the backpack that was lying on the bed and began to head towards the door… it was then that he noticed the picture of his team. The young blond caught in the frame and stared at the photograph.

* * *

_The elderly photographer had just finished preparing the camera and stared at the young genins impatiently. Kakashi-sensei had to calm the two boys if he wanted the picture taken today._

"_Okay, then! Let's take a picture so settle down" Kakashi said to his new, and very bad-tempered, students._

_"__Why do I have to take a picture next to __**him**__?" Naruto muttered, pointing angrily at Sasuke._

_"__That's my line, usuratonkachi." Sasuke replied grumpily._

_"__C'mon… this is a regulation" Kakashi said, trying to calm them down enough._

"_But I'm happy__ to be able to take a picture with Sasuke-kun" Sakura turned to Sasuke, smiling with all her might._

_Naruto smiled immediately. _

"_Me… Me too! I'm very happy to take a picture with Sakura-chan!" the blond said._

_Sakura's smile vanished._

"_Sensei…" she said. "Leave Naruto out."_

"_AH! No…" Naruto cried, horrified by the idea._

_Sasuke chuckled, so Naruto turned to him again._

"_Don't laugh!" the aggravated blond shouted._

"_What?" Sasuke answered back, frowning. _

_Kakashi sighed. He prayed to all gods that the team would improve, or else he would need an earlier retirement. They were supposed to be ninjas, not a bunch of spoiled brats._

_As the photographer prepared to take the photo, Kakashi grabbed the heads of two boys and forced them to keep quiet. _

"_Stop it, you two" the sensei said, turning their head towards the camera. "You're troubling the photographer, can't you see? Hei! This going to stand for remembrance, so smile!"_

_Sakura stood in their midst, s__miling radiantly for the camera, while the two boys glared at each other._

"_Smile, please!"_

_And the photographer took the picture._

* * *

Naruto smiled at the memory and looked at the clock. It was five-thirty in the morning.

He opened the drawer of the dresser and put the photo inside, downwards.

* * *

On reaching the gate of the village, Naruto was prepared for the possibility of finding someone he knew who had found out about his mission. Tsunade had given him her word that she would let him go alone and not let know anyone about his whereabouts or on his mission until its conclusion. No one would interfere.

When passing through the gate he made sure that was not being followed and threw himself in the trees. He didn´t want to tell his friends for various reasons that he knew to be a little selfish on his part: if they knew, they would want to go with him and help him. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate their aid or thought he was superior to them, quite the contrary. Naruto didn't want to risk seeing any of them killed by Sasuke; he could never live with the guilt. If someone had to die that would be him.

_"Forgive me, Sakura-chan"_ he thought bitterly. _"Forgive me for being one to end our dream to have our team back."_

Feeling his eyes burning, Naruto cursed himself and wiped his tears with the back of his hand. _"Stop being such a baby! Tears do not solve anything! "_

Thanks to his high stamina, Naruto didn't need two weeks to reach the Land of Mountains, a very populated small country, north of the Land of Fire. He forced himself to eat and sleep because he knew he needed to, but whenever he saw a devastated village or a grief-stricken survivor in one of the many villages that constituted the country he would travel without breaks before collapsing with exhaustion.

According to Tsunade's reports, Sasuke attacked the villages from dusk until dawn, and always on nights of full moon. He was trying to recreate the massacre of the clan with him in control of the situation. Naruto had stopped wanting to understand how Sasuke's mind worked, but he knew that his heart demanded that others suffer as he suffered. In addition, Sasuke knew that sooner or later, Naruto would get involved.

_"He thinks of me as stupid and predictable."_

During a brief stop at an inn, Naruto heard rumors of a young ninja who was heading west, towards the highest mountains in the country. People were worried, what if it was the criminal who was attacking the villages?

Naruto stared at a calendar hanging in a souvenir shop and felt his throat tighten up. It was July 22 and a night of full moon.

Sasuke Uchiha's birthday eve.

Forgetting to eat breakfast, Naruto rushed to jump into the trees.

It was already night when he saw the smoke rising up in the dark sky. Naruto's feet felt sore but he struggled to walk even faster, the soldier pills had finished hours ago and he cursed himself for not bringing more.

It was too late to save the village; none of the small houses had survived the Katon. Naruto felt his stomach turn when he detected the smell of burning flesh. Upon entering the village, he had to protect his face with his arms, the heat was too strong to breathe but he had to make sure the villagers had survived.

"Is anyone here?" he shouted as loud as he could.

Feeling something under his feet, Naruto almost jumped. The corpse of a young girl was right in front of him, she had been dissected. Naruto had stepped on what was left of her intestines.

"Sasuke ... No ... No ... No ..."

Before Naruto could react he heard a desperate cry amid the deafening noise of burning wood. Following the screams (and ignoring the corpses) Naruto arrived to what was left of a mansion which should have belonged to the village leader. A woman was kneeling on the floor clutching a boy who appeared to have no more than five years old. They were both covered in soot and blood which Naruto guessed belonged to bodies that were right in front of them: a man and an older boy.

It was then that he saw him. Uchiha Sasuke was in front of the burning mansion, his chokuto pointed towards the woman.

He was much slimmer than Naruto remembered, his hair was dirty and scruffy, his clothes filthy with grime and blood. But the worst was his face, his Sharingan was activated and he wore a huge smile of satisfaction on his face, like a demon out of hell.

"Please ... Have mercy ..." sobbed the woman at his feet, grabbing the terrified child. "Please..."

"Mercy? Why should I spare you? I killed all the others, why should I let you live? "Sasuke asked, looking at the woman as if she was trash.

"My son... please spare my son ... you can kill me ... but ... not Kosuke. I'll do anything. Please! I have already lost my husband and my oldest son..."

Sasuke's gaze didn't reveal anything other than disdain for that woman and her son who sobbed clutching her skirt. His smile faded and his habitual expression of indifference returned.

"You do not deserve my attention" he said coldly. "Get out of my sight before I regret it!"

Trembling, the woman picked her son up and ran down the street. When she was about to reach the corner, Sasuke activated his Chidori and threw himself against her back. Naruto grabbed his wrist at the last instant and the woman, surprised, almost fell to the ground.

"Run!" Naruto shouted. "Run away while you can!"

Without needing any encouragement, she got up and disappeared amid the smoke.

Naruto let go of Sasuke's wrist and moved away from the kunai that almost hit him. Sasuke had used his other hand to attack. With a safe distance, Naruto finally looked his best friend in the eye.

"So you finally came ... I wondered how long it was going to take for you to show up" Sasuke said with a sneer stamped on his lips. Naruto remained silent, there was nothing more to say.

Sasuke didn't like the reaction.

"Aren't you going to say anything, Naruto? We finally met after months and you have nothing to tell me? No screams? Not gonna ask me why I killed all these people? Not going to convince me to go back to your precious village so we can be a big happy fucking team? "

Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath before answering.

"There's nothing more I can say to you, Sasuke. I know that now... "

"Are you playing wise, Naruto? Who do you think you're fooling? You think you're so special for having beaten me, don't you? You're not worth shit! If it wasn't for the Kyuubi, you would only be a second-class ninja! "

Naruto remained silent. Kakashi-sensei had told him that Sasuke had a superiority and an inferiority complex, so he believed himself as superior to all others but crumbled completely when he was defeated. He despised those who were weaker than him and hated those who were stronger, obsessively thinking in new ways to kill them and be able to convince himself that he was the strongest once more.

Naruto's silence made the Uchiha's little patience ran out completely. Sasuke jumped into the fight with Taijutsu followed by several Chidori. Naruto wasted no time and entered into Sage Mode, using the energy that one of its clones stored outside the village.

The battle was intense and both eventually moved slightly away from the village. Sasuke had already invoked the Susanoo but Naruto would not use the power of the Kyuubi. He had had luck and wasn't hit by any Amaterasu, but he knew that luck was running out.

His suspicions were confirmed when he made the mistake of staring at Sasuke in the eyes. His Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan was ready for his next attack.

"Tsukuyomi!

Then it happened.

Naruto knew almost instantly that something had gone wrong with the genjutsu. Instead of finding an environment of torture, Sasuke and he were surrounded by thousands of black feathers. But the strange thing was that the feathers were coming out from his own body!

Sasuke looked at him, his eyes wide open.

"What are you doing, Naruto?"

"I ... I don't know...!"

The feathers changed direction and enveloped Sasuke completely, swirling around him like a tornado. Sasuke tried to use Susanoo to escape, but as soon as it touched the feathers the creature let out an animalistic cry and disappeared entirely.

"No! Fuck! No! What are you doing, Naruto? Son of a bitch! What the fuck is this technique? I cannot activate the Susanoo! "

Naruto was as amazed as Sasuke.

"I'm not doing anything!"

"Liar!"

Before Naruto could counter-argue, the black feathers stopped leaving his body. Those which hadn't whirled around Sasuke began to merge together resulting in a black form.

Naruto and Sasuke's eyes were wide with astonishment. The black feathers had formed a human figure they thought would never see again: Itachi Uchiha.

"Nii-san?" Sasuke shouted in disbelief.

Naruto couldn't help thinking that it was a genjutsu. Itachi was dead! It wasn't possible! The last time they had seen each other was when Kabuto ressurrected him with Edo Tensei.

Could it be Sasuke's genjutsu? If it was… why did he seem so surprised about it? In what way could Itachi be torture to Naruto?

"It's been a while, Naruto-kun ..." Itachi said softly.

"Itachi? You... you died! Is this a genjutsu? "Naruto asked.

"It's not a genjutsu" he explained calmly, without looking at his younger brother. "Although you could say it was thanks to Sasuke's genjutsu that I am here."

"What do you mean?"

"Itachi! Stop talking to _him_! "Sasuke muttered. Itachi ignored him.

"You remember our last meeting?"

Naruto noticed at last. It was all a result of the raven that he had swallowed that day... this was the "power" that Itachi had given him.

"For this power to manifest; Sasuke had to use Tsukuyomi against you, using my eyes. These were the necessary conditions."

"You mean like that crow with your friend's eye?" Naruto asked.

Itachi nodded.

"Yes. You're determined to save Sasuke, so I placed a second power within you just in case."

"Nii-san!" Sasuke shouted behind them. "Nii-san! Let's kill him together, Nii-san! When he dies, we can destroy Konoha! They will never laugh again, we will kill them together and cleanse the name of the Uchiha! Tou-san will be so proud of me, he will finally look at me! "

Itachi stared at his brother filled with sadness.

"I never wanted things to end this way, Naruto-kun" he explained. "All I wanted was for Sasuke to return to the village as a hero ... he was the only one of our clan that hadn't been corrupted by greed, so I placed all my hopes on him."

Naruto didn't know what to say. Itachi was being honest, he knew it.

"Our father was so obsessed with power that forced me to betray the village. While he ensured that I remained strong and faithful to the clan, Sasuke was ignored almost completely. It didn't matter that Sasuke was the best of his class at the Academy, or if he needed a family member to accompany him ... our father didn't see him. He was too obsessed with making the clan the new leaders of Konoha. "

"_Stop talking to him! _They always put us aside, "yelled Sasuke, ignoring what his brother had said except for what he wanted to hear. "They've always despised the Uchiha! We are stronger, smarter and more gifted than anyone in that stupid village. But they will pay, right Nii-san? They will wish they had never messed with the Uchiha!"

The black feathers began to spin faster. A beam of white light came out of the tornado and grabbed Sasuke's arm. After that it grabbed his leg. Within seconds, Sasuke was completely immobilized by ropes of light.

"Naruto-kun ... I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you. I hope someday you will be able to forgive me. From tonight on... you won't have to fight against Sasuke anymore. "

Sasuke tried in vain to free himself from the ropes.

"Nii-san! What's happening? "He shouted, starting to feel frightened by that bizarre situation. His mind, twisted by madness, noted vaguely that Itachi not only was ignoring him but also could have something to do with black feathers.

A white light surrounded Naruto and he became aware of small blue orbs getting out of his body towards Sasuke. He began to feel dizzy and very, very tired.

Before losing consciousness Naruto still managed to look at Itachi, who was smiling at him with his usual gentleness.

"Please... take care of my little brother."

Naruto fainted.

Sasuke continued to attempt to free himself from the ropes, but these seemed to cling to him with even more force. Several blue orbs that his Sharingan identified as chakra, surrounded the tornado's feather. Sasuke felt an electric shock run from head to toe, and suddenly, his head felt much lighter.

Itachi approached his brother and looked deep into his eyes. At first, Sasuke's lips were compressed with fury, staring with a withering gaze, but this was gradually fading, giving way to a confused and exhausted expression.

Sasuke felt very angry, sad, betrayed ... but ... he just couldn't remember why. His brother kept looking at him impassively. Why didn't he help him?

"Nii-san... What...?"

"Shhhh... Calm down Sasuke "he replied."It'll be alright."

Sasuke knew he shouldn't be detained, but he couldn't remember how he had got there. Had there been a fight? He didn't remember having struggled. His brother was there with him so he was safe, right? There was someone else there... or had he imagine it? Sasuke felt so confused. Itachi had died ... no ... he was alive, he had been a spy for Konoha and with Madara, killed all the clan members ... Itachi had killed the clan ... Sasuke had to kill and avenge them all ... that's why he had ... joined the Akatsuki? No ... had joined Orochimaru and left Konoha ... to get stronger ... Naruto had come after him to stop him ... Itachi was after Naruto in Konoha and he went out to them ... Gaara had escaped from the Chuunin Exam and he had to defeat him, but Naruto and Sakura were here too... Kakashi taught him the Chidori but he could only use it 3 times a day ... the cursed seal gave him power, but it was very difficult to control… the snake man bit him in the neck ... the whole team was going to die, the snake man was too powerful ... he was going to participate in the Chuunin exams, but had no major concerns, the only opponents was worried about were Gaara and Rock Lee ... He had survived the needles of the masked boy ... Naruto would eventually die if he did not act faster ... the man against whom Kakashi fought was very strong ... Zabuza... Naruto almost died on the way to their first mission outside the village, what an idiot ... why did he have to belong to a team of idiots? Goddamn team ... an idiot and an annoying girl...he didn't need a team! He worked better alone ... he really had to graduate that year, he couldn't waste time... when he would graduate? Could he really do it?

Itachi's eyes peered Sasuke as his life turned backwards. As years disappeared from the body of his brother and his mind became barer. Sasuke forgot Madara and Akatsuki, the truth about the Uchiha; he forgot the fight against Itachi and all the techniques he had learned from Orochimaru. Finally, he forgot that he had betrayed Konoha...

Sasuke's eyes, which hitherto remained with the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan activated, changed into a matured three tomoe Sharingan, then two, one ... until his eyes turned black as coal. Sasuke had forgotten how to activate the Sharingan.

His arms and legs were becoming increasingly smaller, his bones contracted, the muscles that he had gained after weeks of training faded, becoming smaller and weaker until they were swallowed by his white shirt and pants which threatened to drop to the ground along with the rope that he used as a belt. His face was becoming less defined, giving rise to the appearance of a child. The vocal cords shrunk, making his deep mature voice become higher. The hairiness he acquired during puberty regressed and disappeared, leaving only light fuzz. His permanent teeth came back into the gums: first the molars, then canines and finally the incisors. Baby teeth returned but eventually also returned to their place above the adult dentition.

Sasuke's pants fell on the floor and his shirt barely clung to his increasingly smaller body. His hair grew back into his skull leaving only a bit of thin raven hair on the top of his head. His legs' muscles became weaker and he collapsed backwards into a sitting position. Baby fat continued to appear on his thighs, upper arms and neck. Sasuke finally became unable to sit and fell on his back with his now giant shirt covering him. His arms and legs lost their coordination as his muscles lost strenght and control, his movements becoming large and jerky.

Sasuke forgot all ninja techniques that he ever learned; he forgot what "ninja" meant. He didn't know his address, how to do mathematical calculations, how to read or write, how to draw, how to distinguish the passage of time, how to distinguish people and objects, how to dress... Forgot the name of his brother and parents, forgot the name of things... they were objects with colors, colors without names... forgot his own name... he forgot all words...

His body forgot how to feed himself. He forgot how to breathe as his lungs became deflated and filled with amniotic fluid...

Finally… darkness. He didn't know anything.

* * *

Naruto woke up with a big headache. Still stunned, he asked himself what kind of bed he had fallen asleep. He had twisted his neck and his back ached.

Rising, a sharp pain in the back of his head made him groan and take his hand to his wound.

"Did I hit my head?" he asked before realizing that he had slept on weeds outside. "What the hell?"

The sun was rising behind the mountains. Its rays illuminated the small clearing where Naruto was, making him puckered brow to get used to the light. He could hear the waters of the stream nearby and smelled the dew wet grass.

He also felt the unmistakable smell of burnt wood.

Village... houses burned... Sasuke...

Finally recalling, what had happened the night before, Naruto stood up with a jump and looked around. The clearing was deserted and there were no signs of Itachi or Sasuke. The feathers which came out of his body had also disappeared.

_"Was I dreaming?"_ he thought. _"No… it wasn't a dream. ... But then, where is Sasuke? "_

Had Itachi killed his brother? If so, where was the body? What happened last night?

He then noticed a small circle of scorched grass a few feet from where he was. Sasuke's sword, still wet with dew and stained with blood, shone beside it.

Naruto moved towards the circle. The memory of the black feathered tornado came back to him like a flash; whatever had happened to Sasuke it had been there. As he got closer, Naruto felt his heart beating faster, he felt out of breath. Then he saw the clothes...

They were Sasuke's clothes, he had no doubt. The white shirt was stained with blood, soil and filth, his purple pants right above it. One of the sandals was bare by the pants, while the other was concealed under them. The owner of the garment in question couldn't be seen anywhere.

Naruto kept walking, his head full of unanswered questions. Where was Sasuke? What had Itachi done? Would he have made Sasuke disappear? He was not aware of any technique that was capable of erasing a person without leaving any trace ... But Itachi was known to be a genius; he might have created a technique. The Sharingan was capable of everything...

Sasuke's clothes were right in front of him. For a moment, Naruto laughed at the thought of a furious Sasuke walking around naked, demanding his clothes back. The idea that Sasuke had died hit him with the strength of a kunai in his chest. The laughter turned to sobs and Naruto fell to his knees in front of the clothes that had belonged to his best friend. Tears were soon running down his cheeks, falling to the already wet ground. The sobs became screams of hurt.

The blond ninja's eyes were so swollen that he didn't even notice the tiny movement under Sasuke's shirt. Something small was trying to get rid of dirty cloth. Naruto suppressed a sob when he heard a muffled whimper right before him.

Blinking in confusion, Naruto looked around looking the one making the noise. A few seconds later, he heard a cry. Following the sounds, realized that the cry came from Sasuke's shirt. He finally noticed the movements underneath the tissue . With his hand trembling, Naruto grabbed the shirt and moved it slightly.

His blue eyes opened with surprise and disbelief. Lying in the middle of the shirt, screaming with all his strenght, was a newborn baby boy. His purple skin was covered with some kind of transparent slime and blood; his eyes were closed tightly and filled with tears, his tiny arms and legs waving in the air helplessly.

A child had been born into the world.

* * *

**The regression is done. I'll explain why Naruto's chakra was used eventually. I'm also sorry for the very lame fighting scene, those are my weak points.**

**The idea of the "feathered tornado" came from the opening scene of the D. N. Angel anime, which I thought was very strange and yet beautiful at the same time. ****Well, I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to review!**


	4. Freak Out

**Well here it is! Like I said, I'm trying to keep the characters "in character", so Naruto doesn't know squat about babies and even less about pregnancy (he thought Kurenai was fat!). **

**By the away, during this chapter the day is July 23. Sasuke would be 17 (now he is 0) and Naruto is still 16, his birthday is October 10th.**

**Enjoy!**

"Talking"

_"Thinking"_

**I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

**Freak out**

訳の分からないことをする _(Wake no wakaranai koto o suru)_

_Fea__r._

_He was so scared._

_He had been comfortable in the darkness, which was the only thing he remembered. He vaguely recalled being in a warm, wet and dark place for a long time and then... pain. Lots of pain! __The darkness was safe but he remembered that it felt bad... He didn't want to go back there, so he tried to get out but it hurt so much... And then it was over._

_But this new world was too scary._

_He felt something rough and uncomfortable all around him. Moving, he noticed something on him and panicked. He didn't want to be there! He was afraid! An unknown "thing" was over him and he couldn't get it out! The emotions were too strong and he did the only thing instinct told him: cry. _

_For the first time__, he opened his mouth and screamed. His lungs were filled with air, and he knew that he was breathing. He felt something warm in his eyes that slipped down his face. _

_During what seemed like an eternity, nothing happened and he cried even louder. The fear he felt for __the unknown increased to the point of being unbearable. All we wanted was for the fear to disappear. He felt so bad... _

_Finally, the unpleasant __"thing" was gone and a brilliant white light illuminated his face. He thought he heard something but the sounds were too faint. Finally, he felt a new sensation that upset him, cold. His wet and clammy skin shuddered with the air stream. He couldn't open his eyes, the light was too strong. _

_So __he screamed for comfort, for safety. _

_He felt something hot touching him and picking him up in the air before leaning into something equally warm. After several movements, something soft was wrapped around his cold little body. He felt a scent that didn't belong to him but to the much bigger person who was holding him. His tiny nostrils inhaled the odor, wanting to know it because instinct told him that this was __the closest to safety he would be._

_Finally, he stopped crying. The person holding him made several sounds, his voice was pleasant and he liked it. When trying to open his eyes, he could barely see except for the silhouette of the person who held him. Feeling safe with this person, he closed his eyes again and fell into a blissful sleep._

* * *

Naruto could not believe his eyes: in the middle of Sasuke's clothes, was a newborn baby.

He blinked several times, closed his eyes and pinched his face. No, it wasn't a dream. The baby was still before him, crying his eyes out. Naruto wondered if it was a genjutsu, but that didn't make any sense.

Realizing that the baby was real, Naruto wondered who it would be. Where did he come from? Why was he there?

The child continued to cry. It was a tiny creature; his purple skin was already becoming pinker but he still looked weird! He looked like a hairless dog except for the thin raven hair ...

"_Raven__ hair?"_

Naruto was startled and looked at the baby more closely. The idea seemed ridiculous but he couldn't get it out of his head. First, Itachi appears out of nowhere, then uses an unknown technique and now he finds a baby in the exact place where Sasuke had been...

_"No way! It's impossible! "_

The baby continued to cry, his helpless little body shaking with cold and fright. His lips were trembling, his fists pressed against his face as if to protect himself, his feet dangling in the air. His chest and belly rose and fell as if he was having trouble breathing.

Naruto stretched his arms towards him and touched his sticky belly as if to make sure he was real.

"Sa-Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

The infant showed no signs of having heard him. His hands and feet were blue with cold. Naruto was afraid to pick him up. He didn't know how to do it… what if he hurts him? But a wail of anguish from the little boy forced him, almost instinctively, to put a hand under the child's head and another under his butt, raising the baby in the air and cuddle him close to his chest.

He was so light and so small!

"Sasuke ... it's you, isn't it?" the blond asked the baby who seemed to calm down a little when he was picked up, but didn't answer Naruto. "What the hell happened to you? Why do you look like this? "

The baby calmed down but was still weeping and shaking with cold. Naruto didn't understand why Sasuke (and he was sure it was Sasuke!) was still crying. Was he injured?

Naruto examined his best friend's body in search of wounds. The blood that covered the baby did not look like his ... While looking at the place where Sasuke's belly button should be, Naruto shouted: Sasuke had his gut out!

Naruto panicked when he noticed a long strip of meat that coming from Sasuke's navel. He even tried to put him back but couldn't... it was as if the thing had been born from his belly.

"What the...? I didn't make this wound Sasuke! How the hell did you hurt yourself like this? What do I do? What do I do? "

Sasuke continued not answering. Sobbing and wailing of cold, the baby snuggled closer to Naruto, one of his hands clinging to his coat for warmth.

Desperate to make Sasuke feel better, Naruto took off his jacket with his free hand and wrapped it around the baby boy.

"Don't worry, Sasuke" the blond ninja said, cradling the child in his arms. "Everything is fine... you're going to be okay..."

Gradually, the baby stopped crying. His onyx eyes, filled with tears, opened softly and stared at Naruto.

"You'll be alright, Sasuke" Naruto whispered.

Sasuke kept staring at Naruto with a look of awe his face, but he seemed calmer. Naruto continued rocking Sasuke back and forth, not really understanding why it comforted the boy.

"You don't need to be afraid ... I'm here."

The baby closed his eyes again. Shortly after, his breathing became regular, falling asleep.

Naruto, convinced that Sasuke was in pain, thought that he had fainted. Panicking, he looked from one side to the other as if in search of someone to help him. There wasn't a single village within a radius of 50 km.

"What am I going to do?"

Desperate, Naruto did the only thing he remembered. Landing Sasuke carefully, Naruto bit his thumb until it bled and made the hand seals before playing it on the floor.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

In the midst of a cloud, came a dark orange colored toad. Seeing Naruto, the toad smiled boldly.

"Yo? You haven't called me for a while..."

"Gamakichi! No time to talk "interrupted Naruto, returning to pick up Sasuke."I need you to do me a Reverse Summoning!"

Gamakichi blinked, uncomprehending.

"Huh? But why so suddenly...? "

"Hurry!"

"Okay, okay ... calm down, dammit!"

Naruto looked back at Sasuke who seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Then he noticed the sword and the clothes.

"Wait!" Ordered the blonde to the toad that was about to leave.

"What now?"

"Use your Katon against these clothes."

"What? What do you think I am? You burn your garbage! "

"This is serious, Gamakichi!"

"Right, right" inhaling deeply, Gamakichi burned the clothes Sasuke had worn out. When the flames were gone, all that remained were ashes.

_"Perfect"_ Naruto thought. _"No one will find our trail."_

"Anything else?"

"No ... You can do the summoning."

With a blast of smoke, Gamakichi disappeared. Naruto picked up the sword and looked at the sleeping infant.

"Sorry Sasuke ... I promise I'll buy you some new clothes."

Sasuke continued to sleep. Naruto tapped his foot impatiently, cursing Gamakichi for the delay. Sasuke life was in danger, for crying out loud!

Finally, Naruto was surrounded by smoke and disappeared. In the clearing, all that was left were ashes from Uchiha Sasuke's clothes.

* * *

**Poor Naruto! Can you guess what the "long strip of meat coming from Sasuke's navel"really is? ^_^**

**I hope you liked it!**


	5. Count on

**Hello everyone! Thanks once again for reading my story and for the reviews, they make me feel all warm inside and inspire me to keep on writing!**

**I've tried to keep Sasuke as realistic as possible, babies are cute but sometimes they can be pretty disgusting. And Naruto has to cope with a very weird situation: it's not just a baby, it's Sasuke! The cool rival he always wanted to emulate, so it's kinda hard for him. I hope this doesn't make the story boring, but Naruto needs to be like this until he can accept what happened or else it wouldn't feel real, right?**

**Anyway, here's the chapter!**

**I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

**Count on**

頼りにする _(Tayori ni suru)_

Mount Myōboku hadn't changed at all since Naruto's last visit. A cool green paradise, especially for the frogs that lived there.

Gamakichi was in front of Naruto, watching him with curiosity and some annoyance.

"I brought you here. Now would mind explaining me what the hell is going on? "the frog asked, before noticing the bundle that Naruto held in his arms."What is that? A baby?"

"I'll tell you later! I have to go to the sennin Jii-chan! "

Gamakichi gave him a sly glance.

"Naruto! What have you done? Don't tell you got into trouble? "

Realizing that Gamakichi was insinuating, Naruto blushed like a tomato before yelling Gamakichi to shut up and to get out of his way.

Fukasaku and Shima were enjoying their breakfast when they heard the angry voices of Naruto and Gamakichi.

"Look who came to visit us!" Fukasaku said happily. "It's good to see you, Naruto-chan!"

Naruto approached the toads which, in turn, immediately noticed the boy's exhausted look. They also frown upon seeing the baby.

"Jii-chan Sennin, I need your help! He's dying! "Naruto shouted in panic.

"Wait, Naruto-chan! Who is dying? And who is this child? "

Gamakichi laughed.

"Naruto knocked someone up."

"Shut up" growled Naruto. "This is serious! He will die if we do nothing! "

"Who will die?" Shima said, now very curious.

"Sasuke!" Naruto pointed to the baby. "Him!"

The frogs gasped deeply and stared at the sleeping infant not wanting to believe their ears.

"Are you saying that this baby is Uchiha Sasuke?" Fukasaku said.

"This is exactly what I'm saying! I'll explain later ... Sasuke is seriously hurt! He has his guts out!"

The frogs looked at Naruto's orange jacket. If Sasuke had been gutted, the jacket would be soaked with blood… which wasn't. Actually, Sasuke looked perfectly well.

"Come into the house" Shima ordered. "Let me see it!"

Naruto obeyed and went inside the small house where he used to live during his senjutsu training. Shima jumped over a small couch and ordered Naruto to land Sasuke on it, then carefully, removed the coat, revealing the child's abdomen.

"You see? He has a great piece of intestine coming out. Can you save him? Should I take him to a hospital? "

Shima picked up the "gut"gently. Feeling cold, Sasuke began to whimper.

"Naruto-chan…" she said."This is not his gut."

"Huh?"

"Honestly ... do you know anything about babies? This is a piece of the umbilical cord. "

Naruto narrowed his eyes, not understanding what Shima had said.

"So… It's not his gut?"

"Of course not."

"So ... he's not in danger?"

"No. He is perfectly fine. "

"And this thing..."

"The umbilical cord."

"This ... is this normal?"

Shima rolled her eyes.

"You mammals are born with the cord. It is what connects a baby to his mother when he is in her belly. What do you think your belly button is? "

Naruto shrugged.

"The belly button is the scar from the umbilical cord" she explained.

Fukasaku stared at his wife in amazement.

"Kaa-chan ... you know a lot about mammals' babies."

Shima swelled with pride.

"Of course! Female mammals are living proof of a woman's strength! "

Naruto approached Sasuke and looked at the cord. If Sasuke was not in pain, why was he crying so much a little while ago?

"So what happens to the cord?" Naruto asked. "He's not keeping it, is he?"

"Well no" Shima replied leaving the room. A few seconds later he returned with scissors in hand, approached Sasuke and grabbed the cord.

"Here!" she said to Naruto, handing him the scissors.

Naruto grabbed the scissors and, realizing what was about to happen, he opened his eyes wide and he drew back.

"What? I'm not cutting it! "

"Yes, you will! Stop being a coward and cut his umbilical cord. "

"But ... that's disgusting!"

"Disgusting? This is one of the most beautiful things you humans can experience! "

"I don't want cut it! Shouldn't we give him a painkiller or something? It's gonna hurt him. "

"No, it won't. The baby doesn't feel the cord ... now stop being such a wimp and cut the damn cord! "

Shima's voice tone of didn't allow discussions. With his hand trembling, Naruto approached the umbilical cord, grabbed it with his left hand (slightly shaking) and cut it with the scissors in his right hand.

As predicted by Shima, Sasuke didn't even budge. Naruto grabbed the cord and threw it in the trash bag before running to the bathroom and washing his hands.

An hour later, Naruto had finished telling all that had happened since his departure from Konoha until he reached Mount Myōboku. They were sitting on the kitchen floor drinking an oddly tasty herbal tea, while Sasuke was lying asleep in the next room. Fukasaku crossed his arms over his chest and stared at his apprentice.

"This Itachi guy must have been an extraordinary ninja. I never heard of any technique that could turn an adult into a baby... It must have been some kind of rejuvenation jutsu... " the old toad said.

"I don't care about that jutsu!" Naruto replied. "I have to find a way to revert it. Sasuke can't stay like this! "

"Idiot! If we find out what was the jutsu used, we'll know if we can reverse it. "

"And how do we find out? I didn't hear Itachi say the name of the technique. "

Shima turned to Naruto.

"What was the last thing he said?"

Naruto closed his eyes, trying to remember. He recalled the black feathered tornado, ropes of light to involving Sasuke, Itachi telling him that he would not have to fight against Sasuke anymore...

"He said: _please ... take care of my little brother_."

The couple looked at each other. If Itachi wanted Naruto to take care of his brother, he wouldn't use a reversible jutsu...

In the next room, Sasuke woke up and began to sob. Shortly after, he was screaming with all his strength. Naruto left the kitchen and came running to the baby.

"What's wrong?" the young ninja asked, holding Sasuke in his arms. "What happened, Sasuke?"

As before, Sasuke showed no signs of having heard him and continued to cry. Naruto was beginning to feel uneasy, if Sasuke wasn't in pain then why was he crying? Naruto believed that his former comrade must have been furious with the whole situation: the great Uchiha Sasuke's body reduced to a helpless baby, in the lap of the person he claimed to hate above all others. In this case, it was expected that the international criminal glared at him or even tried to attack him.

"Why are you crying?" Naruto asked again. His voice had risen due to the concern he felt. As a result, the baby cried louder. "Are you kidding me? Because I'm not laughing! "

In response to the cry of angry Naruto, the child cringed. He cried so much that began hiccupping. Naruto blinked, confused.

_"__Is he afraid of me?"_

"Sasuke stop it ..." he said with a more gentle tone, rocking the baby. "Come on ... this isn't funny. You're acting like a..."

Naruto gasped at the thought that came to him. Sasuke didn't even seem to realize that he was talking to him, continuing to sob.

"... a real baby."

Naruto sat on the couch, snuggled his orange jacket better around the child and pulled Sasuke's head against his face. He expected Sasuke to reject him by pushing him with his hands, or even trying to bite him, but he didn't. In fact, the baby calmed down, enjoying the warmth that radiated from Naruto.

When he finally stopped crying, Naruto pulled the child away from his face, wiped the trail of tears from his face and placed him on his lap, facing him. Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at Naruto's face, not with contempt or anger, but with an expression of interest ... and innocence.

"You know who I am, Sasuke? Remember me? "

The baby did not react.

"Sasuke you ... you know what I'm saying, right? If you understand what I'm saying then say something! Oh! You don't have teeth, huh... then shake your head, wave your hands; blink three times... do something. Give me a sign! Any sign!"

The frogs, who were watching the whole scene from the room door, entered and approached them. Sasuke looked from one side to another, but his vision was very limited so he focused once again on Naruto, pleased with his funny face.

A drop of sweat trickled down Naruto's forehead.

"Sasuke... Do you know who _you_ are?"

Sasuke shook his arms and gurgled, a small string of drool dripped down his chin. Raising his right hand, he placed it on his mouth and started sucking on it.

"Naruto-chan..." Fukasaku whispered. "I don't think he remembers."

But Naruto already knew. Sasuke not only had lost his memory but also behaved like an actual baby. The sense of loss shook the blond ninja. In a way, the Sasuke he knew was gone.

"Naruto-chan..." the old frogs muttered, noting the unfortunate implication in the eyes of their student.

"What do I do?" Naruto asked to nobody in particular. "What will happen to Sasuke now? I felt prepared to kill him, I swear I was. But I wasn't prepared for _this_! What do we do? "

The baby seemed to sense something was wrong because his dark eyes watered and he began to whimper.

Shima sighed before taking action.

"Well, first things first. Let's give this kid a bath. I would also burst into tears if I were as dirty as he is."

Naruto looked at her in confusion.

"What? I'm not that dirty! "the offended blonde replied. Shima shook her head.

"Not you! Well... you should also take a shower... but we'll deal with you later. I was talking about the little one" she pointed to Sasuke. "I'm sure he'll feel much better after a good bath."

Naruto looked at Sasuke and nodded. He always liked cleanness; he even used to bother Naruto about not having bathed when they went on missions. He called him abhorrent (whatever that meant).

However, when Naruto extended the baby to Shima she glared at him with an angry expression.

"What do you think you doing?"

"Well... wasn't he going to take a bath?"

"And you're expecting me to bathe him? I'm too short; you'll have to do it!"

Naruto stared at her with wide eyes. "Me? Why me? "

"You're the only human here, and it takes some skill to handle an infant. If a frog were to give him a bath, he could end up drowning."

"Forget it! I won't bathe Sasuke! It's too weird!"

"So you're going to abandon him? When he needs you, you turn your back on him? "

Her words struck him like knives.

"No... That's not what I meant ..."

"Naruto-chan, I understand you're saddened by what happened to your friend. But imagine if he had become quadriplegic! Or if he had hit his head and remained in a coma or retarded for the rest of his life? What would you do? Let him die because he was not the person that you knew? "

"... Of course I wouldn't let him die... but..."

"You accepted this mission because you wanted to stop him, right? You did it, may not be in the way you thought you would but you managed to stop him. He's not a threat anymore... he can't hurt anyone else. And he needs you... who else can he count on?"

_Sasuke ... Sasuke is my responsibility; I want to deal with him alone._

Naruto turned to look at the unhappy baby in his arms who was sucking on his hand in an attempt to soothe himself. This wasn't the Sasuke he had met at the Academy or during his days as a member of Team 7. Nor was the traitorous criminal who he had fought against, that destroyed so many lives and shattered his team's hearts for power... No, this was a different Sasuke, but it was _still_ Sasuke.

"There's nobody else" continued Shima. "He is all alone."

With a sinking heart, Naruto approached Sasuke to his chest and cradled him. Shima was right; Sasuke had no future after all he had done. There was no place he could go, nobody would ever accept him.

_"__Except for me…"_

As a sign of agreement, Naruto went to the bathroom.

* * *

_Ten minutes later_

"Gah! I can't do this" Naruto yelled, refusing to look at his best friend. His _naked_ best friend, lying on top of a bath towel.

"Oh, please!" Shima muttered in exasperation. "It's not like you're washing a toilet! You'll bathe a baby! "

"It's Sasuke! I can't bathe Sasuke!"

The bathroom was warm, but the baby was already feeling cold and shivering.

"You're the only one who can do it! The poor thing is already freezing, so hurry up before he catches a cold. "

Swallowing, Naruto picked the boy up and placed him inside a bowl full with hot water, keeping his head in the surface with one hand. Sasuke didn't react well to water and began crying again.

"What the...? You always liked baths, Sasuke. And now you're being all weird about it!"

"Take this smaller towel and rub his skin to see if you strip this disgusting slime of."

Naruto obeyed and started rubbing the child's skin with a white towel and a little soap. He washed his back, belly, chest, legs, arms, head and face, the latter resulting in a tantrum by the screaming boy. He was about to take Sasuke from the bowl when Shima stopped him and pointed to the baby's pelvic area. Naruto blushed from head to toe.

"Please... Don't make me touch it! Anything but that! I don't wanna wash his... _stuff_."

"You're not waiting for him to wash himself, are you?"

Red and sweating Naruto did what he had to do, while looking to the side.

_"__You better thank me for this, teme!" _he thought.

After drying Sasuke, Naruto wrapped him in a blue blanket that Fukasaku had lent him and laid him on a futon surrounded by pillows. Shortly after, the baby went back to sleep. He looked much better now that he was clean.

_"S__he was right"_ he pondered. _"The bath helped..."_

Naruto lay on the ground next to Sasuke, who slept peacefully with his tiny fists closed. Naruto didn't want to admit it, but the kid looked kind of cute. He reached out to Sasuke and touched is hand. To his surprise, the infant grabbed his finger tightly with his whole hand.

Naruto's shocked expression turned into a warm smile. He snuggled closer to Sasuke and caressed his tiny head with his free hand. Naruto just wanted to rest his eyes for a little while; he hadn't eaten or slept well for days. He would rest his eyes for five minutes and then he was going to take a shower and eat something...

Three minutes later, Uzumaki Naruto had fallen asleep. Fukasaku and Shima looked at their apprentice and smiled, deciding to let him rest. They both looked so peaceful and at ease… like a parent with his child.

After what seemed to him like a few minutes, Naruto woke up with Sasuke's cry. Rubbing his swollen eyes, Naruto approached the futon and gasped.

The sheets that surrounded the baby's bottom were dirty with a sort of greenish brown liquid.

"What the hell is this thing?" Naruto screamed in panic.

Fukasaku and Shima burst into the room.

"What?" Fukasaku said.

"Sasuke has a green thing in the sheets ..."

The frogs both looked to the futon. Fukasaku grimaced, obviously disgusted. Shima nodded, as ifs he knew exactly what was going on.

"It seems that Sasuke-chan has to go to the bathroom" she said, looking slyly to Naruto.

The blond shuddered in terror.

**

* * *

**

**Naruto didn't know that Sasuke turned into a baby mentally as well. **

**Oh! And the greenish thing is called ****Meconium (the earliest stool****s of an infant). ************Well, I hope you enjoyed. **


	6. Naruto's Resolution

**Hello! Once again I would like to thank you for the reviews and favs! This chapter is a bit bigger. **

**I promise a bit of more action in future chapters. **

**BTW, "Gama" means frog or toad. I'm also be using the japanese terms for a parent so:**

**Mama: mama/mommy ****Papa: papa/daddy (usually used by babies, young children and girls)**

**Kaa-chan: mommy/mom/ma Tou-chan: daddy/dad/pa transmits a feeling of endearment (usually used by young children)**

**Okaa-san/Kaa-san: mom/mother Otou-san/Tou-san: dad/father**

**Haha: mother Chichi: father ****(formal)**

**

* * *

**

**Naruto's Resolution**

ナルト の解像度 _(Naruto no kaizōdo)_

One of the Myōboku Mountains burst into pieces when the gigantic and heavy body of Gamabunta was tossed against it. The frog stood up and cursed loudly, staring at Naruto who was watching with a smile of satisfaction on his face.

"Ah! Ah! I won again, Gama Oyabun! "the young ninja exclaimed.

Gamabunta jumped from the remainder of the mountain to a lake, disguising very badly irritation he felt.

"Bah! I'm not in my best days "he justified, while washing himself in the lake."I drank too much sake last night!"

Naruto jumped out of the rock where he was to the lakeside. His Sage Mode disappeared.

"Excuses, excuses ... Why don't you admit that I'm stronger than you, Oyabun?"

"Hmpf! You need to grow a lot to be stronger than me, brat!"

"Huh? But beat you. Twice! "

"Two out of three is not a great victory."

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

"Very well! So let's see out of five! "

Gamabunta turned his back. He would never admit to the kid that he was exhausted and, very probably, he had broken two ribs. Instead he pretended to be bored and started walking away.

"I have no time to waste on unnecessary challenges." He said before diving into the lake and disappearing into the waters.

"Hey! I'm not done yet! At least admit defeat, OYABUN! "

Annoyed at having been ignored, Naruto decided to return to Fukasaku's home. Maybe he would finally manage to convince Gamaken to fight him.

After arriving in Mount Myōboku, he trained with virtually all frogs. He learned some new jutsu and improved the techniques that he already possessed, his new challenge was to dominate the Hiraishin no Jutsu, a technique that his father Minato created. However things were not going very well, Naruto was not exactly an expert on seals...

"Tadaima!" He said before entering his teacher's house and taking off his black sandals.

In the kitchen, Shima had already started preparing lunch (Naruto avoided thinking about the bucket of worms that she had asked him the previous evening) while Fukasaku drank tea at the table. Both frogs greeted him with a smile.

"O kaeri nasai, Naruto-chan!" they replied in unison.

Naruto decided to go to the room he shared with Fukasaku and changed his clothes, throwing his pants and dirty T-shirt in the laundry basket. When he returned to the kitchen, Fukasaku pointed him to sit down with his hand.

"How was your morning, Naruto-chan?" Fukasaku said.

"It went well, I guess ... I defeated Oyabun but he acted like it was only by luck!"

Fukasaku laughed.

"Good luck in trying Bunta-chan to congratulate you! You should sit and wait; he will never admit that defeat. "

Naruto sniffed and pouted.

"He is just a bad loser."

Realizing that the house was particularly silent, Naruto stood up and walked to the living room where it was the wood crib that Fukasaku had made by hand, delicately carved with many decorative frogs. However, apart from several blue blankets, the crib was empty.

"Where's Sasuke?" He asked.

* * *

"Gamatatsu! Higher! "Gamakichi exclaimed.

"Ok, Nii-chan" the younger frog replied, raising his tongue even higher in the air. Clinging to the tongue that rose and fell, Sasuke laughed with delight.

Both frogs liked to take him, secretly, in order to play with the baby at ease. After all, they never had a human baby on Mount Myōboku, and the kid was actually fun to play with.

Gamakichi didn't say it to Naruto, but he never liked Sasuke. Maybe it wasn't quite right to judge him, after all he had never spoken to guy (he also doubted that the Uchiha would pay him any attention) but didn't like what he saw of him. He thought of Sasuke as rude, egotistical, greedy and, above all, evil. How the hell Naruto considered him his best friend, Gamakichi could not understand. The guy was aloof with everyone!

The baby squealed of joy when Gamatatsu's tongue rose in the air. His little arms waving as if he wanted to fly.

Gamakichi also laughed. The Uchiha could have been a waste of DNA, but this baby knew how to have fun with the frogs.

Gamatatsu lowered the infant and placed it on the floor, where the latter observed the frogs with an inquiring expression.

"What we do now, Nii-chan?" Gamatatsu asked.

"Hmm ... Let me think ... Ah! I know!"

Gamakichi grabbed the baby with his right hand and raised him until they were at eye level.

"Gaaaaahh ..." Sasuke babbled, trying to touch the frog's face. "Baahhh... Daaahhh..."

"Ok kid! I'm going to teach you how to talk," said the frog older.

"Eh? But he doesn't say anything, "replied Gamatatsu.

"That's why we're going to teach him. Sasuke say: _Gama_!"

"Beeehhh" the boy murmured, waving his arms and legs.

"No. Gama! Can you say Gama? _Gama_! "

"Gaah Buh Dah..."

"Gama!"

"Daah ... Daah... Gaahh... "

"Ga-ma! Gama! "

"Gaahhh... meeehh... "

"Gamatatsu!" the frog younger exclaimed, infuriating his brother.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm teaching him to say my name."

"Why the hell is he going to learn your name?"

"It's a good name. It will be his first word. "

"His first word will not be your name."

"Oh! Why? It's cute..."

"Eeeeeh... Uuuuhh..." groaned the baby, making the brothers stop arguing. Sasuke's lips were trembling and his face was getting red, which meant that he was about to throw a tantrum. Both frogs were horrified.

"Nii-chan, you scared him."

"Me? It's not my fault! Crap! What we do now? "

The baby began to fuss and whimper. As much as Gamakichi rocked him, he showed no signs of calming down.

"So there you are!" a voice said in the distance.

The frogs turned just in time to see Naruto move towards them. Gamakichi sighed with relief and turned the baby to face Naruto.

"Look! Look Sasuke! It's Papa!"

The little boy looked at Naruto the very moment he came near them and lifted his tiny arms to be picked up. Naruto also stretched out his arms and held the child, causing Sasuke to grab onto Naruto's jersey and lean his head against his shoulder, cooing softly.

"Whew! Glad you came Naruto" the elder toad admitted.

"Gamakichi! Do not take Sasuke without telling anyone! I'm tired of looking for you every day! "Naruto replied.

"We were just playing with him."

"Yeah! We've been teaching him how to talk "Gamatatsu said.

"How to talk?"

"We wanted him to say "_Gama_" but it didn't work ... I think the kid is a little slow" Gamakichi said. Naruto glared at him.

"Sasuke is _not_ slow!"

"Okay! Okay! Geez ... you are such a protective papa! "Gamakichi teased, causing Naruto to blush with embarrassment.

"Will you stop calling me that!"

"Deeeh ..." Sasuke whispered, annoyed. Naruto stopped arguing with Gamakichi and rubbed his little back trying to calm him down.

"I know!" he thought as he pulled the wallet from his pocket and showed it to the boy.

"Hey Sasuke! It's Gama-chan! "he said shaking his frog shaped wallet. As expected, the baby stretched out his arms and grabbed the wallet. A few seconds later he had put it in his mouth.

Naruto could not help but laughing, he didn't mind the drool. Long ago, he had removed all the money of the wallet and filled it with dry leaves to give it volume. Gama-chan was Sasuke's first toy, and though he had bought some new toys, Gama-chan continued to be his favorite.

With the boy entertained, Naruto said goodbye to the frogs and returned home. It was late December aand the weather was considerably colder. Naruto hoped Sasuke would not get a cold and mentally noted that he had to buy him warmer clothes.

Sasuke had grown over the past five months, which relieved Naruto. He had been afraid that the jutsu that Itachi used turned Sasuke into a permanent baby, but after only a few weeks since he had brought the boy to Mount Myōboku he noticed Sasuke had grown several inches and was getting heavier.

The first weeks had been chaotic! He didn't know squat about babies and believed Shima would assume the "mother" role and take care of the little boy. Man… he was wrong!

Shima knew very little about how to take care of a human child. Naruto was not exactly a genius, but even he knew that you shouldn't feed a newborn with worms. As a result, he left Mount Myōboku and ventured into baby stores for the first time in his life.

Saving the world had earned him a large monetary compensation, but more than half of the money he received was still in Konoha, hidden under his mattress. For that reason, he didn't want to waste his remaining cash in the shop.

When he entered the store he felt immediately out of place, there were women everywhere! Mothers with small children, pregnant women, grandmothers, aunts, sisters ... he was the only guy there. But before he had time to flee, the employee cornered him.

"Good morning! Can I help with something? "she asked with a smile.

Naruto felt himself sweating from every pore.

"Ah... I... I need baby stuff."

"Well... you're in the right place. Have you something in mind? "

"Ah..." he remembered that Sasuke was sleeping at home, wrapped only in a blanket and an old cloth to serve as a diaper."I think... Clothing and diapers."

The employee took him first to the diaper section. Naruto was dumbfounded, how the hell was he supposed to choose diapers? There were diapers from a thousand different brands, and they were not even by ages! How would he know how much Sasuke weighed?

"Is there a problem?" the employee asked, noticing his embarrassment.

"I don't know how much he weighs... How do I choose the diapers?"

"Your mother didn't give you a list?" the employee Asked. She had assumed that the boy had come to buy supplies for his new sibling while his mother was busy at home.

"Huh? No ... I don't have a Kaa-chan. "Naruto said, confused.

The maid nodded solemnly. A nervous teenager on a baby store and didn't come to buy for a sibling... and also seemed very inexperienced.

_"A teenage father"_ the employee concluded. _"At least he is involved in raising the child."_

"How old is the baby?" He asked.

"About a day"

"Was it born chubby?"

"Ah... No, not really. Small and light... Looks like a bald rat! Is it normal? "

A drop to sweat trickled down the woman's face.

"It's normal..."

Eventually, he chose a cheap brand of diapers for babies between 3 and 6 pounds before heading for the clothing section. Naruto didn't know why the employee had followed him instead of helping other customers, but he was grateful.

"It's a boy or a girl?" she asked.

"A boy"

When choosing the clothes, Naruto avoided every one that was too colorful or vivid. He couldn't imagine Sasuke wearing them. He picked black, white, purple, beige and different shades of blue. But he couldn't resist a small orange colored t-shirt with a leaf drawn in the middle.

After buying a bottle, Naruto put several packages of baby formula in the shopping cart.

"If the baby was just born, I would advise the mother to breastfeed during the coming months" she advised.

Naruto blushed.

"He doesn't have a mom... She died..."

The woman looked at him with pity.

_"Poor boy__... he will have to raise the child alone."_

"I am so sorry... In that case, I suggest you take this brand of formula. They say it's pretty good! "

When Naruto finished shopping and paid, the employee handed him a small book. Naruto read the cover: _Baby Care for Idiots_.

Naruto looked at her with bulging eyes.

"The book is free" she said with a smile.

Although he should have felt offended, the book was a great help and Naruto stopped freaking out every time Sasuke started crying. Still, Naruto knew that he wasn't fit to take care of a baby.

When he arrived home after going shopping, Sasuke was screaming while Shima tried in vain to calm him down and Fukasaku covered his ears with both hands. As the cloth they used as a diaper was still clean, Naruto assumed that the baby was hungry so he tried to prepare the baby formula... but he let it burn. It took two more tries and a scald on his arm until Sasuke finally could drink his milk...

Naruto approached the bottle's nipple slowly into the newborn's mouth. As soon as the nipple brushed his cheek, Sasuke's sucking reflex allowed him to extract the milk. The baby sucked the warm milk eagerly, feeling satisfied as it filled his hungry stomach... until he threw up an hour later on Naruto.

After a week of "training" Naruto started to get the hang of it. He rarely burnt the formula, stopped putting the diaper backwards and learned to place a towel on his shoulder when he had to make Sasuke burp.

Naruto also realized that the baby had changed. At first, when he wasn't sleeping he was crying because he was hungry or needed to have his diaper changed. After a few weeks, Naruto noticed that Sasuke seemed more curious when he was awake, watching everything and everyone as if he was trying to understand them, especially Naruto. The boy was able to spend hours looking at him.

The book said that babies liked to look at bright colors, and Sasuke loved Naruto's blonde hair. Only a few months old he would constantly try to grab his hair and touch it. To please him, Naruto used to rest his head on the boy's belly and let him touch his hair at will.

It had been a surprise when Sasuke, at the time a month old, smiled for the first time. Naruto was having dinner with Fukasaku and Shima while the infant was lying against some pillows away from them. Naruto had the idea to train every day with the frogs and challenged Fukasaku to a battle.

"Come on, Jii-chan Sennin! It'll be fun! We no longer fight against each other since my first training in senjutsu. "

"I don't want to spend the day fighting you, Naruto-chan."

Naruto laughed and crossed his arms behind his head.

"I understand... I guess you should retire someday..." he teased.

"What? Are you insinuating that I'm old! "

"There is nothing to be ashamed of. Do not feel bad, we all age someday"

"Baka!" the old frog cried hitting Naruto's head with his cane.

"Itai! That hurt like hell! "Naruto growled."I didn't say anything..."

Naruto was interrupted when he heard a loud sound coming from where the baby was and they all looked at it the same time, wide-eyed. Sasuke was laughing, an actual laugh that had nothing to do with the grimace of scorn that Naruto remembered. He had never seen Sasuke laugh that way, had chuckled during their times as Team 7 but never laughed.

"Ah! You think this is funny? You think is funny when I get hit in the head with a stick? "

Fukasaku looked at the crane and hit Naruto again.

"Itai! Why did you do that? "Naruto yelled, not understanding.

"Look at Sasuke-chan."

Sasuke was still laughing, enjoying the scene. Naruto couldn't help it and also laughed; he got up from the table, picked up the baby and brought him to the grown-ups.

_"I should have guessed... The only times that you smiled was when I said or did something stupid so you could make fun of me"_ he thought nostalgically. _"I wonder how many times you laughed after you left us... the closest thing I saw was your crazy grimace and laughter when you fought against someone."_

Seeing that everyone around him laughed, Sasuke continued to smile at them, knowing he was doing something right that grown-ups approved.

Naruto turned the baby to face him and smiled raising the child at his eye level.

"You're a brat, you know that?"

In response, the baby pulled his hair.

* * *

Naruto had imagined it would be impossible to take care of Sasuke even though he had lost his memories and behaved like a baby. For example, he had seen Sasuke naked half dozen times and had always been in public baths… now not only he saw him naked every day but also had to clean his ass every day. How could someone so little make so much crap?

There were times when Naruto watched Sasuke waiting for his declaration that it had all been a trick, but it never happened. Not even Uchiha Sasuke would stand idly while somebody took his temperature the baby way or you poked a finger in the diaper to see if it was dirty. It was very strange to see Sasuke in this form, so dependent and innocent, and Naruto missed the Sasuke he had met at the Academy and during their missions.

However, it was very easy to like _"this Sasuke"._ When the boy was not crying or fussing like a little demon, he was really cute and fun. Naruto realized that he liked to cradle him and spend time with him; he also liked to give him his bottle because he made very funny faces while drinking milk. He was nice to play with, so he had gotten him some toys.

Naruto realized that when Sasuke was agitated or frightened, letting him hold his hand helped calm him down. He was surprised when, in one of those occasions, Sasuke grabbed his finger with his two little hands and brought it to his mouth to suck on it. He had been disgusted at first, but noticed that the boy was much more serene, gazing at him with his big onyx eyes. On that moment, Naruto felt very close to Sasuke.

It was a strange and unfamiliar feeling that Naruto could not name. About Sasuke, he felt admiration and animosity over the years at the Academy, when they started to be part of the same team these feelings progressed to friendship, rivalry and brotherly love... when he defected from the village in search of power he felt anger, sadness and helplessness to bring him back, but he never hated him and didn't think he was able to regardless of the atrocities he committed.

Naruto looked at the child who he held in his arms. Sasuke had fallen asleep, still clutching Gama-chan. With one hand, Naruto tucked in his dark blue sweatshirt.

Over the past few months, Naruto's feelings changed again. They were not being replaced because the affection he had for his former companion was still there, but they had become... different. Naruto didn't know why or how. He wanted to protect Sasuke, look after him, and make sure he was secure and happy.

Was it brotherly love? He used to imagine Sasuke as his older brother, but when trying to imagine Sasuke as a younger brother, well... it didn't feel right. He felt attached to the baby, as if he belonged to him. Whatever new feeling he felt was he still considered Sasuke family.

When they reached the house, Shima had finished preparing lunch and the table was already set to start eating. Which meant that Naruto wouldn't be able to escape and eat the "human food" he had bought.

"It's about time" Shima said. "Lunch was getting cold."

_"I__'ll have to eat that crap again..."_ he thought as he sat at the table, with Sasuke lying on his lap.

"Hm? Aren't you placing him in the crib? "Fukasaku asked as he poured a generous bowl of caterpillars.

"If I do that he'll wake up. I'll let him sleep on my lap for now, I don't mind. "

Fukasaku smiled.

"I see ..."

Shortly after, they started eating, Naruto noticed that Sasuke was awake and recognized the angry cry that meant he was hungry.

"Baa-chan sennin could prepare a bottle? I think Sasuke also wants to have lunch. "

* * *

_Sasuke__ ...It was that sound again. _

_Every time they approached him they would make that sound. Sasuke._

_He c__ame to realize that this sound meant they were talking about him or to him. His identity ... He was Sasuke._

_In the beginning, __he didn't understand a thing the grown-ups said. They were just confusing sounds, said in tones of voice that he understood as being safe when they were in a low smooth tone, or dangerous when they were high. But with the passage of time he became more aware as his hearing and vision improved so that he could explore the unknown world around him._

_It was a world full of sounds, colors and strange people. He began to realize that he saw the same people every day and they took care of him, feed him and gave him attention. This led him to trust them. He had come to know them by the different smells and voices, but there was one person who drew his attention._

_Somehow, this person was different. The touch, smell, voice and appearance were different from the others. This person was almost always with him… looking after him. It made him feel safe and protected. This person was his favorite._

_He knew instinctively that he had a connection with that person. He knew they were similar, the same species and, therefore, he felt attached to that person._

_He __knew it was his parent._

_Something told him that was not his mother. He couldn't justify that certainty but he didn't doubt it. The person didn't smell like milk, it wasn't mother. The smell, the low voice, the stronger and tough body indicated something else... It was the other parent, the male. _

_His father._

_Papa__... that was the sound they made when pointing to that person. They also called him other names but they were too many and difficult to remember or speak. So he memorized the word._

_That person was Papa._

_Sasuke woke up because his stomach hurt, he was hungry. When he started whining he recognized the voice and the smell of who held him._

"Look who woke up! Don't worry Sasuke, you'll have lunch in a minute _"he said._

_Sasuke didn'__t understand what he had said, but his familiar presence made him feel safe and happy. When he saw the bottle getting closer he felt his mouth salivating, anticipating what was going to happen, he raised his arms to grab the bottle and began to suck the nipple as soon as it touched his lips. He was pleased to feel the hot milk fill his hungry stomach._

_Sasuke looked at Papa. His __hair was so funny; he felt a sudden urge to grab it. When Papa smiled, Sasuke felt very happy because he knew his father had noticed him._

"See! You won't starve!"_He said._

_The baby's fingers moved along the bottle and grabbed Papa's much larger hand, enjoying the warmth and affection that radiated from him._

_All his __baby instincts told him the same thing, he had a connection with this person and all he wanted was to be cared by him. He was this person's son... _

_This was his father..._

_"My P__apa..."_

_

* * *

_

Sasuke had finished drinking the milk and Naruto decided to let him sleep on his lap, with his face buried in his shoulder. Shima failed to resist "the lovely image" and examined the baby's black hair.

"Damn! It never comes down?" she said while trying making Sasuke's tiny spikes of hair on the back of his head to come down.

"That's how is hair is" Naruto said, laughing.

"Hmpf..." the frog snorted.

Fukasaku took the opportunity to draw attention Naruto's attention.

"Naruto-chan... we need to talk."

Realizing that the matter would be serious, Naruto laid Sasuke in the crib and followed the frog master into the garden.

"What is going on, Sennin Jii-chan?"

"I received a letter from Tsunade-chan ..."

Naruto gulped.

"What did Baa-chan said?"

"She asked if we had had some contact with you over the past five months. When Sasuke-chan's attacks stopped they hoped would be a matter of weeks till you returned to the village, but you disappeared without a trace. They sent patrols looking for you, even your sensei tried unsuccessfully to find you. "

Naruto nodded, filled with guilty. He didn't mean to worry his friends.

"You have been declared _missing in action_. Because Sasuke-chan also disappeared and the body was never found, they think perhaps you both died. Or…"

"That I also defected" Naruto added. Fukasaku nodded.

"Naruto-chan ... what answer do you wish me to give her?"

Naruto sat on a rock and stared at the blue sky. Inside the house, Sasuke should have fallen asleep.

"I can't tell them the truth. Not yet... I also cannot bring Sasuke to Konoha, it would be too suspicious. The only thing I can do is to keep looking for the name of Itachi's jutsu."

"But the frogs that went in search of information found nothing. Even Jiraiya-chan's contacts knew nothing… "

Naruto's body tensed and he buried his face in his hands.

"Naruto-chan we're not going anywhere like this... We need help. Someone with acquaintances, with access to forbidden information... someone you could trust and who wouldn't betray you or Sasuke-chan... "

Naruto's eyes widened and he rose so fast it scared the old toad.

"What was it?" Naruto-chan! "

But rather than elucidate, Naruto ran inside, grabbed a scroll and a pen and began writing a letter.

* * *

The hooded figure moved slowly through the storm. It was dark and the waning moon poorly illuminated the winding path. Which was perfect, given that the individual didn't want not be seen, much less followed.

Between two large boulders lay a miserable hovel, almost destroyed by the elements. Through the small covered window a glimmer of light could be seen inside the housing, which meant that he was being waited.

He opened the old door slowly and entered the hut. Inside there was another guy, also hooded, seated at the table next to a burning candle. Upon seeing the visitor, he withdrew the hood, revealing a smiling Uzumaki Naruto.

In response, the visitor also removed the hood. Naruto smiled even more.

"I'm glad you came" the blonde ninja said. "Gaara..."

* * *

**There you go, Naruto decided to contact someone. And Sasuke pretty much made up his mind about who Naruto is.**

**I'll be going on vacation with my family for two weeks, so it will a bit harder to write but I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible. **

**Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to review!**


	7. The Chakra Thread

**Olá! I'm back from my vacation although not very tanned because I'm allergic to the sun (Damn it!). I went to Lisbon and Costa da Caparica, really beautiful beaches there and many tourists too! Mainly British, French and Germans. Watching them trying to speak Portuguese is hilarious, we often end up speaking english. My generation is mostly fluent in English, not my parent's generation, they only had 3 years of French in High School.**

**Anyway, the new chapter is done. I hope you enjoy it!**

**

* * *

**

**The Chakra Thread**

チャクラのスレッド (_Chakra no sureddo_)**  
**

When he removed the hood, Naruto pointed a finger for Gaara to sit in his chair in front of him, separated by the old table. The Kazekage was the one who had proposed that place: an abandoned shack a few miles from Sunagakure. Outside, sheltered from the sand storm, Gamakichi waited impatiently, toads did not belong to the desert.

"You came alone?" Naruto asked.

Gaara nodded.

"Nobody followed me. I also didn't tell anyone about the letter that you wrote. "

"I knew I could count on you. Thank you... "

Gaara rested his elbows on the table and stared at his friend. Naruto had grown since the last time he saw him, didn't appear to have starved or faced difficulties. In other words, he did not show signs of fatigue from a rogue ninja.

He had been startled when a frog appeared on top of his desk with a letter around the neck with a stamp that read: _"Open when you are alone. Naruto."_

Only when he arrived at home, locked in his room, did he open the letter.

_"Gaara,_

_I hope you can read this letter without anyone finding out. I don't know if you know (you should know) but I've been missing for five months._

_Tsunade Baa-chan gave me the__ mission to eliminate Sasuke as he continued to destroy villages to attract me. She didn't want to, but I ended up convincing her to give me the mission._

_I found Sasuke and fought against him, however, a _strange thing_ happened and that prevented me from returning to the village._

_I have __**not**__ deserted the village! I will never betray Konoha or any of my friends. I was wondering if I can talk to you alone, I need help._

_You can give me your answer with the toad. And please do not tell anyone that I contacted you. Even Baa-chan._

_Thanks,_

_Uzumaki Naruto"_

Gaara knew he was betraying Tsunade's trust by hiding the information that Naruto had contacted him. But finally agreed to the request Naruto and arranged a meeting.

Now that they were face to face, Gaara could only think of one question.

"What happened, Naruto?"

Naruto stroke his forehead.

"Ah... Where shall I start? I don't know how I'll tell you this..."

"You said you had fought against Sasuke. Temari told me that squads were sent to search you and that they had lost your trail in the ruins of a village in the Land of Mountains."

"Well... I fought against Sasuke there. Then I asked Gamakichi to summon me to Mount Myōboku."

Gaara nodded slowly. Now everything made sense.

"You were there all this time?" Kage said.

"Yes. I mean... I go out occasionally to go shopping, but always in small villages and never for a long time" Naruto replied.

"You were hiding."

"Yes... It wasn't my intention. But I had no choice. "

Gaara put his hand underneath his mouth and watched Naruto. He had to ask!

"Did you kill Sasuke Uchiha?"

Naruto's eyes widened. He was not expecting to have to tell him so soon.

"I ... Not exactly ..."

If he had eyebrows, Gaara would pucker them.

"Not exactly?" he repeated. "What do you mean?"

"I... didn't kill him..." Naruto finally said.

The young Kazekage sighed deeply. Naruto had matured but was a fact that he thought too much with his heart. Gaara didn't blame Naruto, he saw Sasuke as his best friend and the blond loved him as if they were family. However... Sasuke was a threat to the lives of many innocent people.

"The attacks stopped after you're gone" Gaara said. "If Sasuke did not die, then what happened?"

Naruto looked at his hands and sighed.

"Did you convince him to stop, Naruto?"

"No..."

"Where is he?"

Naruto looked up and stared at his friend. His blue eyes were solemn.

"Right here"

Before Gaara could answer, Naruto bent down and lifted a basket that was under the table. The young Kage got up and looked inside the basket with wide eyes: a raven-haired baby was sleeping peacefully, wrapped in a blanket.

"Ah! Ah!" Naruto laughed. "It's the first time I see you like that! It looks like your eyes will pop out of your head."

The Kazekage pulled himself together and turned to Naruto.

"Naruto... You're telling me... that this infant is Sasuke Uchiha?"

Naruto nodded.

"It's Sasuke teme, alright..."

"How...?"

"While we were fighting, Sasuke used the Tsukuyomi genjutsu but instead of working, Itachi appeared before us."

"Itachi? Uchiha Itachi? Sasuke's older brother? "Gaara asked, confused. Naruto nodded.

"I know he died... But before he died we had a sort of conversation in a genjutsu. He asked me if I was willing to kill Sasuke to protect Konoha. When I told him I'd save Sasuke and protect Konoha at the same time, he made me swallow a crow and said that he had transferred some of his powers... When Sasuke attacked me those powers were activated. "

"What happened next?"

"It was very confusing... black feathers went out of me and did a whirlwind around Sasuke. Then I felt as if my chakra was being stolen and I lost consciousness. When I awoke it was morning ... I was alone and there were no signs of Itachi. It was then that I found Sasuke's clothes on the floor and I approached them and saw him! He was... like this. I couldn't kill him, Gaara! Not in that state! So I took him with me."

Gaara sat down again, moving a hand across his eyes. Naruto wasn't lying, that baby was Sasuke Uchiha. He could feel his chakra even though it was so small it could pass unnoticed.

"You gotta believe in me, Gaara. I..."

"I believe in you..." the Kage interrupted."I understand why you did it, Naruto."

Naruto smiled, relieved.

"However" Gaara continued. "Hiding in mount Myōboku is not the best solution. Whatever happened to Sasuke, you're lying to your village."

"And what do you want me to do?" Naruto said, frustrated. "I cannot simply hand over Sasuke! I also can't kill him!"

Naruto's cry woke up the baby who started to sob. Naruto grabbed Sasuke, who was dressed in a white shirt and blue shorts, waving his little bare feet, and cuddled him. Gaara stared at the two with curiosity in his face.

"Sorry Sasuke! Its okay "the blond whispered to the child who clung to him and started to suck on his thumb.

Sasuke was attracted by the bright light of the candle and turned to stare at it. His dark eyes fell upon Gaara, filled with amazement.

Naruto smiled sadly and looked at Gaara.

"He lost all his memories... I think the jutsu transformed him into normal baby. Now that I think about it, besides me, he never saw another human being. You're the first one!"

Naruto got up and came over to Gaara. The Kage looked at him with a mixture of confusion and anxiety when he handed him the child.

"Hold him! Don't worry, he doesn't bite."

A little apprehensive, Sabaku no Gaara took the baby on his lap. Both boys looked at each other in astonishment.

"Baahh..." Sasuke muttered, grabbing the white robe of the Kazekage and staring at his red hair, trying to grab it. "Daahh... Behhh..."

"His eyes..." Gaara muttered at last. Naruto blinked, confused.

"Huh?"

"Sasuke's eyes... are pure. I never imagined seeing him with an expression like this. "

"What did you used to see?"

"Pain, anger, loneliness... the need to prove his existence to the world."

"You identified yourself with him" Naruto said, remembering the Gaara that he met during the Chuunin exams.

"My eyes were like that... yours too" Naruto looked confused. "You had your feelings hidden, but it was visible."

"I think you're right..."

"My eyes have changed, Sasuke's not... they got even worse. His soul was as black as his eyes. He told me that his goal was in the darkness. "

"Gaahhh... Buuhh... "Sasuke gurgled, grabbing a lock of red hair and pulling it. Gaara, however, leaved him be and allowed the baby to put his arms around his neck.

"This child is untainted. There is no darkness in him" the red-haired ninja he said. "You've been taking care of him?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yes. It was a nightmare at first, but I think I got the hang of it" Naruto knelt down to so Sasuke could stare at him. The baby smiled and touched his whiskered face with his little hand.

To his astonishment, Gaara realized Sasuke's look on Naruto was filled with love. A child's love for his parent.

"Does Sasuke grow old?" Gaara asked.

"Yes. I was scared because I thought he would stay a baby forever, but he is growing normally"

"What do you intend to do?"

"I'm... looking for the name of the jutsu that Itachi used to make him younger. I couldn't hear the name of the technique so I had trouble. None of Ero Sennin's contacts heard of the jutsu. That's why I liked to ask you whether you could help me... "

Gaara placed Sasuke in another arm.

"Never heard of a technique like this."

Naruto looked down, disappointed.

"But I will try. If I find something, I'll inform you. "

"Really? Thank you!"

"Will you inform the Hokage?"

Naruto tensed.

"No ..."

"You have to inform her, Naruto. You're betraying the village by hiding information. "

"Once I find the jutsu, I'll tell her the truth."

"And what will you do with Sasuke if you discover the jutsu?"

"I ... I'll find a way to turn him back to normal."

"You'll bring back a murderer?"

Naruto felt his throat close as he observed the child smiling to him while rubbing his face.

"I have to... It's the right thing to do" he said sadly.

"If Sasuke returns, you will fulfill your mission and kill him?"

Naruto gulped. His heart ached.

"Yes ..."

Gaara promised to give his best to find out the name of the jutsu before handing Sasuke to Naruto. While moving away from the cottage, the Kazekage recalled the expression of joy he saw in Sasuke and sighed. Finally, his body vanished into sand.

Inside the hut, Sasuke looked drowsily at Naruto, his heavy-eyes opening and shutting. Naruto sat in his chair and pulled the boy's face to his shoulder. With his free hand he stroked the baby's hair.

Gaara and Tsunade's words sounded in his head.

_"Are you able to kill him, Naruto? Would you accept the mission to eliminate Sasuke Uchiha? __"_

Naruto closed his eyes.

_"If Sasuke returns, you will fulfill your mission and kill him?"_

A solitary tear trickled down his cheeks and fell in the sleeping baby's cheek. Naruto felt his head heavy and fell into to slumber.

Without either of them noticing, a seal formed in Naruto and Sasuke's chest. Covered by the clothes, it was invisible. On Sasuke's back, also emerged a black bird's image, a phoenix.

Naruto's chakra waved and accumulated in his abdomen, forming a small lump that turned into a chakra string which in turn lengthened to join Sasuke's navel.

For several minutes, the teenage ninja's chakra was transferred to the child. Sasuke's few chakra undulated, slightly disturbed. However he received the new chakra, assimilating it and making it his own.

The majority of chakra element consisted of lightning; he did have a small percentage of affinity for the fire element. The arrival of the new wind element disturbed the existing ones, spinning each other until they founded stability. Within minutes, the wind element rushed through Sasuke's chakra channels with the remaining peacefully, although in very small quantities.

Naruto's chakra continued to merge with Sasuke's. The baby's chakra changed, assimilating it to perfection. Its three elements, lightning, fire and wind, ran in harmony as if he had been born with them.

Sasuke didn't even feel his new chakra. The boy curled up against his father's neck, continuing to sleep content.

* * *

**I hope you liked it! Feel free to review! **


	8. Making Bonds

**This chapter is mostly a character development one. I hope it's not too boring! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews and favourites. **

**Gamariki is the Drag Queen frog that appeared him the fillers (Naruto hated his guts). Naruto is 17 years old.**

** Hope you enjoy it!**

**

* * *

**

**Making Bonds**

作成債 (_Sakusei-sai_)

_February 13th_

As a typical citizen of Konoha, Naruto disliked rain. January was cold and gray, February was freaking rainy.

Tired of coming to Fukasaku's home soaked to the bone, Naruto finally decided to follow Sakura's advice and train his mind. He got several scrolls on ninjutsu and genjutsu, in an impulse he also ended up buying every book Jiraiya ever wrote. He began to see the writing of his former master with other eyes, smiling sadly as he thought about the old perv and the fact that his Tou-chan had read those books with so much delight. However, his favorite was still _The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi_.

He had been upset at first because he never got used to read and tended to get distracted with anything or ended up falling asleep. But when he began to be interested in the plot he could easily lose track of time.

On a rainy night on February, Mount Myōboku was overwhelmed by a strong storm. Naruto, Fukasaku and Shima were having dinner (Naruto managed to make a human meal just for him) when Gamakichi and Gamatatsu knocked on the door, begging to let them stay overnight. The brothers got a smaller form and joined dinner.

Sasuke was sitting in a blanket not far from them, leaning against some pillows and a colorful blanket covering his belly and legs. His hands were holding a doll, biting it, chewing it and covering it with drool. Since he had begun his teething, his gums were red and swollen which made him groan in pain if he couldn't find something to chew.

* * *

_Tired__ of chewing the toy, Sasuke dropped it and eventually it rolled down the blanket away from his reach. As he was able to sit alone he tried to catch it but failed._

_He __could see the grownups talking and eating. The delicious smell made him salivate even more than usual. He was hungry; his mouth hurt and he could not catch his toy..._

_He began to whimper. He wanted milk, he wante__d to stop the pain in his mouth and he wanted to be picked up! His moans turned into screams._

"Sasuke" _a voice called._

_Sasuke recognized his name and looked up. His father approached him, knelt down and stretched out his two hands. Sasuke held out his arms and let his father __pick him up. _

"Maah! Daahh! Dah! "_he yelled as papa stroked his back gently._

"Sorry Sasuke! Just a little bit and you can drink your milk, okay?"

_When papa__ came to the table and sat on the ground, Sasuke was cradled in his lap and rested his head on his arm. Sasuke had his arms outstretched to grab the bottle and soon began to suck. Milk was warm and tasty but Sasuke could not ignore the smell of grownups' food._

_When he finished drinking his milk, his father put a towel on his shoulder and made him burp __by patting him on the back. As Sasuke was still awake, his father decided to lay him in his lap while he ate the rest of his supper._

_Sasuke couldn't stop looking at__ the full spoon of rice that Papa took to his mouth. He was still hungry! So he got up and sat on his father's lap, resting his arms on the table. Just ahead of him, was a bowl of steaming rice._

"Huh? Sasuke? Won't you go to sleep? "_his father asked._

_Sasuke grabbed the bowl and took a few grains of rice._

"Sasuke! What are you doing? You can't eat my food. "

_Sasuke looked at his dad, who still had a spoonful of rice. He also tried to grab it._

"No. Sasuke no! You can't eat it. "

_Unable to grab the spoon, Sasuke put his hand __with rice in his mouth. Despite having only one tooth, he tried to chew the grains of rice._

"You're still hungry?" _his father asked._

"I think the kid wants the big boys' food" _the orange frog replied, who Sasuke remembered being much bigger._

_

* * *

_

Naruto grabbed the boy and prepared more baby formula; he then grabbed brown rice and mixed them to form a kind of puree. Sasuke watched him intently, as if trying to see what Naruto was going to do.

"Let's move on to solid food, huh?" he asked smiling at the seven-month-old. "Just don't throw up on me, okay?"

With the mash finished, Naruto returned to sit at the table, put down the mash, used a kitchen towel to make a bib and sat Sasuke on his lap, facing the meal. Naruto filled a spoon with the mash and approached the baby's mouth.

Sasuke looked at the spoon and Naruto with such a confused expression that Naruto could not stop smiling.

"Come on! Open your mouth! Ahhh! "the blond exemplified, opening his mouth wide. Sasuke opened his mouth and began to chew the mixture.

"That's it! Very good!"

A little bit of mash slipped down his chin and fell to the bib, but Sasuke finally swallowed the rice porridge. In response, all adults at the table smiled and congratulated him. The baby giggled with joy seeing that the grownups were proud of him.

Naruto continued to give him spoonfuls of porridge, sometimes Sasuke tried to grab the spoon and tried to eat alone. When he finished, he had his bib, face and table dirty with mash but Naruto merely cleaned up and raised the boy who put his arms around his neck, leaning his head to the chin of the proud ninja.

"He's growing up" Fukasaku said with a smile on his face.

Naruto nodded. It was strange to be so happy with something as simple as the fact that Sasuke was now able to eat solid food, he couldn't understand why he felt so proud.

Without thinking what he was doing, Naruto kissed Sasuke's forehead for the first time in his life, feeling no shame at all. The act seemed perfectly normal to him.

"That's my boy!"

* * *

It was nearly 2 am when the storm began. In Fukasaku's small house, everyone was sleeping. Naruto shared a room with the two frog brothers, while his teacher was sleeping with his wife in the next room. In the living room with the door open, Sasuke slept on his crib, lying on his stomach with his face turned towards the window. A flash lit the sky, followed by scary thunder.

Sasuke woke up startled by the sound and opened his eyes to the window where the rain was pouring furiously. He instinctively clung to Gama-chan, trying to comfort himself. The room was dark and the flashes of lightning casted ominous shadows against the wall. The baby had tears running down his cheeks, shaking and moaning in fear.

With his elbows, he slightly managed to raise his head and shoulders and looked from side to side. Except for the bars of the crib, he could see nothing beyond the darkness. When a new thunder sounded, he cringed. The boy felt alone and unprotected, he felt panic painfully building up inside him, Papa was not there and he could not see him anywhere. The dark shadows and thunder startled him so much that he wet his diaper.

_"Papa... Papa__..."_ the child thought, his lip trembling. He wanted his father so the monsters would go away and not hurt him, so he tried to call him.

"Aaaahh... Daahhh... Dah! Dah! Dah! Paahhh... Dah! Da-Da! DADA! DADA! DADA!" the little boy screamed for his father. He knew that it wasn't the sound that the grownups made, but he wasn't able to speak better.

A very loud thunder made Sasuke cower against the blankets, whimpering and trembling in terror. He could not stand it anymore; he opened his mouth and yelled with all his might.

Naruto fidgeted on the sheets, trying to ignore the noise but eventually awoke and sat up, rubbing his swollen eyes. The toads also awoke.

"What the hell is this noise?" Gamakichi mumbled.

"Thunder?" Gamatatsu murmured before yawning.

Losing the torpor of sleep, Naruto realized that the "noise" was Sasuke crying.

"It's Sasuke" he said before getting up and head to the room where the baby was crying miserably.

Naruto turned the lights on and went to the crib, picking up Sasuke and cradling him against his chest. The child clung to him but continued to cry, opening his mouth to another wail.

Naruto rocked him back and forth but nothing seemed to soothe Sasuke. The blonde finally found that the diaper was wet, but Sasuke never used to cry like that when he needed a diaper change.

"What is it, Sasuke? What is it? "Naruto asked the child crying in his arms."Are you hurt?"

For a moment, Naruto was truly scared. What if Sasuke was sick?

A new thunder echoed in Mount Myōboku, causing Sasuke to shiver and scream, hugging Naruto harder.

"The storm? Are you afraid of thunderstorms? "

As if to demonstrate, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's black t-shirt with even more strength when he heard another thunder. Naruto smiled, relieved.

"So that's it! Don't worry, Sasuke. It's only lightning"

Sasuke continued to whimper so Naruto continued to rock him. It was ironic that Sasuke was afraid of lightning, since it was his chakra element.

"There... there... It's alright. I'll stay here with you. I won't let them hurt you. "

Naruto's presence and his soft voice made Sasuke quiet down, feeling more secure. The baby looked at Naruto who was smiling at him.

"That's it! No more crying. You are very brave, right? You don't need to be afraid. "

Sasuke cooed, but he didn't seem so scared. Naruto landed Sasuke in a blanket, stripped him and took away the dirty diaper before the child got a rash. When Naruto went away to fetch a new diaper and a wet cloth, Sasuke began to cry, frightened by the possibility that Naruto had disappeared and was never coming back.

"I'm here!" the blonde exclaimed, entering the room. Sasuke stopped crying.

Naruto found it strange that he no longer felt embarrassed by cleaning Sasuke. He assumed that had ended up getting used to it.

"We're family, right? And families should help each other "Naruto said, while cleaning Sasuke and changing his diaper."You know Sasuke… it's strange, but I don't regret taking care of you. I mean... you are still you but... I think we became closer. And that's good, right? "

"Baaahh..." Sasuke muttered, with a string of drool running down his chin.

Naruto laughed and wiped his chin. He thought that it would be enough to put the boy in the crib that he would eventually fall asleep, but when they tried it, Sasuke clung tightly. It was still rumbling and the boy was afraid of being alone.

"Huh? Still don't want to sleep? Hmm..."

Conformed, Naruto turned off the light in the living room and went back to his room. Turning up the light, the two brothers began to grumble before noticing that Naruto had brought Sasuke with him.

"Why is Sasu-chan here?" Gamatatsu asked while Naruto sat on his futon, lying Sasuke in his lap and with his little head resting on his arm.

"He is afraid of thunder" Naruto explained. "I could not leave him alone."

"I didn't expect less of our favorite Papa" Gamakichi joked.

"Stop it, Gamakichi!" Naruto mumbled.

In their room, the sound of rain was barely audible, but Sasuke was still awake and still groaned with the thunder. Naruto let him grab his hand and smiled at him when the baby started sucking his finger, but the kid couldn't sleep.

"I don't know what to do" Naruto blurted out "He doesn't fall asleep..."

"I know! What about a bedtime story? "Gamatatsu asked.

"What?" Naruto and Gamakichi asked at the same time.

"When I was little, I always fell asleep after a bedtime story."

"Not a bad idea," the elder toad agreed. "Naruto, tell him a story."

"Me? I don't know any bedtime stories. Besides, Sasuke doesn't even understand what we say."

"You got any better ideas?" Gamakichi answered. "You must know at least a story or two..."

"I don't remember any..."

"Make one up then! Or tell a true story. What matters is that Sasuke fall asleep"

Naruto stared at the boy that sucked his finger. As if sensing, Sasuke also looked at him. The baby's eyes were still filled with tears. They were so different from the eyes that he saw seven months ago!

_"W__ould y__ou have been like this if your clan had never been massacred, Sasuke?"_

Sasuke stopped sucking on his finger and took it out of his mouth; however, he had no intentions to let go of Naruto's hand. When Naruto smiled, the boy reciprocated his smile.

"A story, eh? Ah... Once upon a time... there was a group of boys and girls who wanted to be ninjas. A ninja is a great warrior who works completing missions and defending his village so all the children were eager to be a ninja."

Sasuke continued looking at him, listening to the story. Naruto continued.

"To be a ninja, they had to graduate from the academy and then the children were divided into teams. One of those teams had a very pretty girl, a mischievous boy and a boy who was a genius. Despite all the three being very strong, the team was not working well.

The pretty girl was in love with the genius boy and just wanted him to look at her, the mischievous boy only pulled pranks and the genius boy didn't like anybody and wanted to do everything alone.

One day, their sensei (who thought they were all jerks) gave them a test: they had to take away the bells he wore on his belt. The student who could not take them until lunch would be trapped in a trunk and watch everyone else eat.

The pretty girl, who was very intelligent, noticed that there were only two bells and their sensei told them that if they could not take the bells from him, they would go back to the academy. The mischievous boy tried to take the bell first and attacked the sensei, but lost. The pretty girl, who wanted to impress the genius, was deceived by an illusion and genius, who thought he was better than his teammates and sensei, was also defeated. The mischievous boy, filled with hunger, found the hidden lunches and tried to rob them but it was a trap and sensei arrested him in the trunk.

The sensei told them they could try again after lunch and forbade them from giving food to the mischievous boy or else he would fail them and went away. However, the mischievous boy was so hungry that his stomach would not stop snoring. Then the genius gave him his lunch and said they would try to take all the bells together and since the mischievous boy was starving he would be a hindrance. The pretty girl also offered her lunch.

When the sensei came, very angry, he told them..."

Naruto looked at Sasuke and saw that he had fallen asleep. The two brothers were also snoring, leaning against one another. Naruto sighed.

"Seriously ..."

He thought of taking Sasuke to lie on the crib, but finally laid him next to him. He pulled the blanket over them and leaned against the baby.

"Oyasumi, Sasuke" he said and turned off the light.

When Naruto was sleeping, Sasuke's hand grabbed his finger.

* * *

_March 9th_

March started slowly, rainy and boring. Naruto was bored to death with nothing to do. he missed Konoha, his friends, his sensei, the missions (he would accept any mission in that moment, even a D rank) and eating ramen!

Every morning he longed for the weather to improve in order to train, he had left Mount Myōboku sometimes and ventured into the villages just to see other human beings, however, whenever he thought of Sasuke he hurried to return. It was increasingly painful to be separated from him; he worried if he was hurt, sick, if he was sad and crying.

Naruto realized that Sasuke could already distinguish him from the others. When he needed something, the baby always turned to the blonde. When Naruto disappeared from sight, Sasuke would soon begin to whimper.

Naruto liked the new closeness he had with the boy, but knew it would only make the separation more painful. Every day he asked Fukasaku if there was correspondence about the jutsu, and every day found himself relieved by the negative response. It was wrong, he should want Sasuke back to normal even if it meant losing him.

Fukasaku had finally written Tsunade and told her that Naruto had not contacted them. Gaara also hadn't informed the Hokage so there were still ninja squads looking for him and Sasuke. He couldn't bring Sasuke to Konoha and take the risk that someone found out what had happened and tried to take revenge on the Uchiha. Sasuke had created many avengers, so determined to kill him as himself had been to kill Itachi a few years ago.

When Shima proposed that Naruto should go to the hot spring to bath he accepted at once, a good bath would soothe his nerves.

"I'll just get my towel!" He said while looking in the drawer that contained the clothes he ended up buying for him.

Ready to leave the house, he passed by Sasuke's cradle, who looked at him curiously. As Naruto walked away Sasuke began to sob, waving his arms through the bars. Naruto turned around and looked at the baby.

"What's wrong, Sasuke?" he asked, approaching the crib. Sasuke stopped moaning and raised his arms in his direction.

"I think Sasuke-chan wants to go with you" Fukasaku said with an amused smile.

"To the hot springs?"

"Why not? It'll be fun! A good bath in a hot spring is a great way to establish bonds."

Naruto turned to Sasuke who still had his arms outstretched.

"It can't be helped," the blonde said, picking up Sasuke. "I think it will be good for you to take a walk. Right, Sasuke? "

"Baahhh! Glah!" the boy gurgled.

The hot springs of Mount Myōboku were much larger than Naruto had imagined. It had been constructed so that the giant frogs like Gamabunta could also bathe in the water without spilling any. The gentle steam rose from the water as a fine mist. Many frogs' statues surrounded the hot springs, serving as fountains.

"Wow!" Naruto exclaimed, impressed. "This place is huge!"

Not wanting to waste time, Naruto went to the locker room, taking Sasuke with him. After undressing and undressing Sasuke, he wrapped a towel around his waist and went into the water.

"Behhh Bahhh" Sasuke muttered as Naruto sat at the less deeper part of the hot springs, sitting on Naruto's lap.

"Ahhh... Nothing like a bath, don't you think Sasuke?"

The water was up to Sasuke's chest. With both hands he began to splash the water, giggling in satisfaction while Naruto smiled at him indulgently.

"It's been awhile since the last time we took a bath in a hot spring. Glad you're having fun."

"Gaah! Gah! Behhh! "Sasuke laughed.

Some frogs were also taking a bath, relaxing. But nobody seemed to notice Naruto and Sasuke's presence.

Naruto filled his hands with water and poured it over Sasuke's head, washing his face and hair. He wondered what would Sasuke fan girls in Konoha say if they knew that Sasuke Uchiha was sitting naked on Naruto Uzumaki's lap in a hot spring, and laughed.

"I think your fans back home would faint if they knew it, Sasuke!"

The boy turned to Naruto and saw him laughing and began laughing too. The baby rested both hands on the blonde's belly and inspected his abdomen, touching his belly button, the firm abdominal muscles and diaphragm. Ticklish, Naruto burst out laughing.

"Ah! Ah! Sasuke! Don't tickle! I don't... ah! I can't stand it!"

Seeing the older boy laughing, Sasuke laughed louder and leaned his head against Naruto's stomach.

"You are a rascal, you know?"

"Maahh!" Sasuke replied, continuing to examine Naruto's torso.

"Hey! Want to see something? "Naruto asked. Concentrating a little chakra, his seal appeared. Sasuke looked amazed at the seal, touching the black designs with his little hands.

"Pretty cool, huh?"

A commotion coming from the side made Naruto shout, grabbing Sasuke protectively. A frog entered the hot springs, squealing with joy and pleasure.

"Baths! A good beauty bath was just what I was needing after a hard day's work! "shrieked a shrill and forced voice. Upon approaching the water it jumped.

_"Oh, shit!"_

Gamariki emerged from the water and let himself float.

"A good bath is the key to a woman's beauty" the frog screamed.

"Gamariki-san! What are you doing here? "Naruto asked, not hiding his displeasure.

Gamariki noticed Naruto and gave him a look filled with contempt.

"Naruto..." he said between his teeth, his voice again threatening and male."Yet here are you? I thought you were gone. "

"I have as much right to be here as you!"

"Don't make me laugh! There is no bath that could make you more attractive, "the frog replied, with a sneer on his painted lips ."You're as ugly as ever!"

"What?"

"If only Jiraiya-chan had taught you good manners... you're a naughty brat, without class. You will never find a girlfriend like that! "

"You have nothing to do with that, you freak!"

"What did you call me, you son of a bitch?"

"Dah ..." Sasuke gurgled, making them both look at him. To Naruto's horror, Gamariki let out a shriek.

"GYAAH! But who is this pretty baby? That baby's so beautiful! "

Naruto pulled Sasuke against him, but Gamariki approached them.

"That little thing is so cute! Looks like a little angel! Where you came from, little man? "

"His name is not _"little man"_ is Sasuke!

"Sasuke, huh? It's a beautiful name. What's a boy as beautiful as you doing with Naruto?" Gamariki blinked his long eyebrows and glanced at Naruto. "Is it possible? Who was the unfortunate girl who you got pregnant, Naruto?"

"He's not mine!" Naruto shouted red like a tomato.

"As I thought... A beautiful thing like him could never have come from your testicles."

"EH?"

Gamariki turned his face to Sasuke. "Won't you come home with me, Sasuke-chan? Gamariki-chan will take good care of you! "

"What nonsense are you talking about? Sasuke is not going anywhere!"

"Bad Naruto must be been treating you so bad, poor baby... But I'll be a good mama to you" Gamariki blinked an eye and licked Sasuke's face.

The baby shuddered and clung to Naruto, weeping.

"See what you did? You scared him! "Naruto exclaimed, pressing Sasuke against him.

"He is just not used to a female presence... Come here, sweetie!"

Gamariki opened his mouth and pulled Sasuke of Naruto's arms with his tongue, giving the latter a kick which sent him several feet away. Seeing that Naruto was gone, Sasuke began to cry.

"Uwaaah! Uwaaaah! Daah... Dada! Dada! Waaah! Uwaah!"

"Aw! Don't cry, my pretty! I'll be the best mom you could want! You are so cute I could eat you!"

Gamariki stretched his lips and prepared to kiss the baby. Sasuke cried even louder. Naruto stood up water in horror.

"Sasuke!"

However, before Gamariki could kiss the child, Sasuke choked himself with a little saliva and vomited in the frog's face.

"AAAAAHH!" Gamariki yelled, letting go of Sasuke to be able to wipe his eyes and dropping him. Fortunately, Naruto could catch him in time.

"You evil child! My eyes! My beautiful eyes! "Gamariki shouted. Naruto took the opportunity to flee.

"All right, Sasuke! I couldn't have done it better!"

* * *

When Naruto came home, Shima began to question him.

"What happened in the hot springs? We heard a scary scream; it looked like someone had died! "

Naruto merely smiled as he laid the sleeping baby in his crib.

"It was sort of like that."

"Did Sasuke-chan behaved?"

"Oh, yes! He behaved very well. "

Shima returned to the kitchen.

"Tou-chan wants to see you, Naruto" she said before disappearing.

Naruto went to Fukasaku's room. When he entered, he felt a heavy heart. The frog master was holding an open letter, the seal of Sunagakure printed in one corner.

"The jutsu was discovered, Naruto-chan..."

* * *

**Next chapter, the true nature of the jutsu is revealed. Sasuke's fate is also sealed. I hope you liked it and feel free to review!**


	9. Black Phoenix, Red Phoenix

**Here it is: the truth about the jutsu. I actually came up with this idea months ago while I was trying to sleep. I had an exam in the morning and I wanted to think about something else.**

**I would like to thank CloudRed1988 for trying to guess what the jutsu was about! **

**Well, here it is!**

**

* * *

**

**Black Phoenix, Red Phoenix**

黒鳳凰、赤鳳凰 (_Kuro hōō, aka hōō_)**  
**

The Shiraha clan reached its peak nearly sixty years ago, since then it fell into oblivion.

According to the information that Gaara had sent him, the Shiraha clan was the only ninja's clan in the whole Land of Trees, a small country that preferred the cultivation of fruits and livestock to war. Therefore, the abilities of the clan were eventually forgotten and ignored as rumors and the ninja clan began to devote itself to research. In the present, the clan didn't have a single ninja.

There were some records about the techniques that the Shiraha clan used during the First Great Shinobi World War, including techniques for rejuvenation and memory loss. The opponents lost years of theirs lives both in body and in mind, making them easier targets to combat. However, there were so few ninjas to use those jutsu that most people thought that the stories were lies to scare the big nations and give more prestige to the clan than it deserved.

The Shiraha clan didn't want publicity, at the risk of being invaded by countries much stronger than them. For this reason, they tried to keep unknown. They built their houses on top of a mountain and avoided to leave.

Naruto jumped from tree to tree towards the Fushichō Mountain where, according to rumors, the two hundred members of the clan still lived. He only had brought a backpack full of provisions and some weapons. He held Sasuke in his arms, wrapped in a blanket. The child had already fallen asleep and awakens several times. At that moment, the boy was awake and watched, amazed, the tree branches above him.

Naruto was lost in thought; he had always known that this day would come. Soon, Sasuke would return to normal and everything will return to its rightful place... it was the right thing to do, that always had been the original plan. Even if it meant losing his baby...

_"My baby?"_ Naruto thought surprised by that strange feeling again. "_What am I thinking about? He is not mine! Why the hell do I think of him as "mine"?"_

Trying to forget those disturbing feelings, Naruto focused on the journey. Finally, he managed to glimpse a cluster of white houses on the mountain top.

"We're here!" Naruto said as jumped from the tree to the floor, right in front of an old rusty gate with the insignia of a bird drawn in the middle. "We must be careful, Sasuke. We don't know if they are friendly or not... but don't worry, I'll protect you. "

With one hand, Naruto pulled out a kunai from his pocket and jumped over the gate. To his surprise, there wasn't a single guard. Inside a small hut, which should serve as a guard post, an old man was fast asleep in a chair, holding a bottle of liquor.

"I think these people have no enemies for a long time..."

"Bah! Glah! "Sasuke gurgled, impassive.

Naruto continued down the road until he reached the village. Most villagers had been shopping in the many local shops in the village. Children played in the streets, women spoke with each other and the men were laughing and flirting with the beautiful women passing by.

Naruto turned to an old lady who was selling fruit.

"Sorry... Baa-chan! Could you give me some information?"

The woman looked at him with a smile.

"But of course, my boy. What do you..." the old woman's eyes widened while looking to his Hitai-ate and went away from him."Ninja... NINJA!"

Alerted by the screams, all the villagers turned to Naruto. Noticing his forehead, panic settled. Women and children ran into their houses while the men grabbed anything they could use as a weapon.

"What is a Shinobi doing in our village?"

"Damn ninjas! Don't think we'll surrender with ease! "

"Where are your companions? Let them come; we'll die to defend our village! "

Naruto raised a hand, trying to calm them.

"I'm not going to kill anyone," Naruto said. "I'm only asking for information!"

"You can't trick us, brat!"

"Go back to your village!"

"What is going on in here?" yelled an authoritative voice.

The crowd moved away to let a middle age man pass. He was tall and robust; his brown hair was caught in a horse-tail. His eyes, a cold blue, stared at Naruto as if studying him.

"Mamoru-sama!" several villagers cried at the same time.

The man, Mamoru, practically radiated power. His whole bearing indicated that he was a respected member of the community, possibly the leader.

"Chichiue, this ninja invaded our village," a boy not much younger than Naruto yelled. He had the same eyes as his father.

"Easy, Nozumo..." Mamoru replied, looking intensely at Naruto. "A Konoha ninja, eh? I haven't seen one in years. What does the Land of Fire want with our humble clan?"

Naruto took a deep breath, grateful for Mr. Mamoru calm. However his son, Nozumo, seemed ready to punch Naruto with slightest provocation. Those people were not ninjas, but the warrior blood spoke louder.

"I have no intentions of invading your village or to fight with you, all I want is to ask some questions" Naruto said.

"Our clan moved away from the shinobi world for many decades, boy. We have no reason to help your village "Mamoru replied, crossing his arms around his chest.

"I'm not here because of my village," Naruto retorted. "I came here for me. I liked to talk to your leader. "

The villagers began to complain but Mamoru stopped them by raising his palm.

"What's your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto"

Mamoru seemed surprised.

"I thought the Uzumaki clan was extinct... what a surprise. It is best to talk in private."

"Chichiue! He is dangerous! "Nozumo shouted.

"He brings a child with him... I don't think he has come to destroy us. Naruto-kun, please follow me. "

Naruto followed Mamoru, passing by the angry villagers. They climbed many stairs to reach a white-painted house, this one with the insignia of a bird painted in the wall. Ivy was covering one half of the crest.

"Our clan's symbol" Mamoru said, noting Naruto's curiosity. "The legendary phoenix!"

They entered a room that was to function as a library and an office. Thousands of books and scrolls were stored neatly on shelves in alphabetical order.

Mamoru sat on the desk and asked Naruto to sit in the chair in front of him.

"Okay, boy. Say what you want from us."

"I would like to know more about a jutsu that your clan has perfected many years ago ..."

"Could it will be the rejuvenation jutsu?" interrupted Mamoru. Naruto stared at him open-mouthed.

"How do you know...?"

"A few years ago, a young ninja from Konoha as you came to our village in search of information. When we refused to let him see our records he assaulted our kinjutsu library and disappeared. "

"He stole the records?"

"No... We checked that he had just read them and went away. What is the interest of Konoha in our Kinjutsus? What right do you have in stealing our techniques?"

Mamoru seemed genuinely offended. Naruto started to sweat.

"This ninja who assaulted you... was he pale and had hair black?" Naruto asked.

"Exactly."

"He was a missing-nin. He didn't steal from your library on behalf of Konoha! "

"He _was_? That means he died?"

"Yes ... he died a year ago."

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's shirt, asking his attention. Naruto gave him his hand to keep him entertained.

"It's very strange that a missing-nin had requested the same information as you. You said you came by yourself; are you also missing-nin? "

"Well, no... I am not! Listen, I haven't come to cause you any problems, I just want to know more about the rejuvenation jutsu. It is very important!"

"It was declared a forbidden jutsu, no one even knows if it works! Please, leave our village."

"But ..."

A door behind Naruto slowly opened and a little girl and an old lady entered the library. The old lady impressed Naruto; she was dressed in a golden kimono and wore several gold rings on each hand.

"Thought I heard voices," the old lady said, smiling at Mamoru and Naruto. The girl dropped her hand and ran to Mamoru.

"Otou-sama, obaa-sama told many cute stories" the girl yelled clinging to Mamoru's legs. Only then she noticed Naruto. "Who are you?"

"Oh ... my name is Naruto, nice to meet you.

"My name is Yumi! Oh? It's a baby?" Yumi asked, noticing Sasuke. "What's his name?"

"Sasuke"

"He's cute"

Naruto couldn't help but laughing. Even with seven and a half months old, Sasuke continued to dazzle girls.

"Mamoru, why didn't you tell me we had visitors?" the old lady said. "I could have made tea!"

Mamoru turned to the woman.

"Hahaue… I did not want to have you bothered. Besides, they were leaving. "

The woman smiled and approached Naruto.

"My name is Shiraha Hikari " she introduced herself, bowing. "I am the Shiraha clan's leader."

Naruto got up and returned a clumsy bow.

"Nice to meet you... My name is Uzumaki Naruto"

"Mamoru, why don't you bring Yumi to the house? I liked to talk to this young man"

"Hahaue! This is...? Is it not better to call the guards? "

Hikari shook her head. "It is not necessary; I just want to talk to him."

Mamoru looked at her and Naruto, apprehensive. His glance said _"if you hurt my mother, I'll kill you with my own hands."_ Nozumo took after his father.

"I'll be back soon" Mamoru said, leaving the library with his daughter by the hand. Yumi nodded to Naruto.

"Bye, Naruto-san! Goodbye, Sasuke-chan! "she said before disappearing through the door.

"Now that we are alone, could you tell me why you wish to know more about our kinjutsu?" Hikari asked, obviously she had heard everything. "And how do you know the young man who robbed us?"

"The ninja that stole from you… his name was Uchiha Itachi" Naruto explained. "He... he used your jutsu! I don't want to know how to use it, want to know how to reverse it! "

Hikari nodded slowly. Her black eyes, which contrasted her long white hair, found Sasuke's.

"I see... Follow me, please. I want to show you something"

* * *

Naruto followed the old lady by a secret door that opened behind a bookcase. A staircase led them increasingly lower; Naruto could feel the smell of mold and moisture getting stronger as he advanced down the stone stairs, illuminated only by a few candles that were lit with Hikari's jutsu. It seems that the Shiraha clan still had one ninja left.

"Baa-chan… how much further is it?" Naruto asked.

"We are almost there"

Shortly after, they arrived to a huge underground flag. A giant metal symbol was the only decoration of the pavilion: two Phoenix, one black and one red, facing each other. The Black Phoenix was upside down, the Red Phoenix side up.

"Wow," Naruto exclaimed. The Phoenix were so elaborate, the blue eyes of both were made with sapphires and the feathers had gold edges.

"This was our clan insignia one hundred years ago," Hikari said, approaching the emblem. "The phoenix is the symbol of rebirth and new beginnings, which defined well our clan because we specialize in jutsus that can rejuvenate a human being" Hikari turned to Naruto. "I must assume that our young Itachi used the jutsu..."

Naruto nodded. Hikari came over and bent down to look in Sasuke's eyes.

"This kid... he used the jutsu on him?"

"Yes..."

"How old was the boy when the jutsu was released?"

"Seventeen years old"

"He went back to what age?"

"I don't know... I think he became a newborn, he had the umbilical cord and everything!"

"Then he lost seventeen years of age..." Hikari remarked, looking at Sasuke. "Tell me everything that happened"

Naruto told her everything that happened. The old woman merely nodded solemnly and didn't interrupt. When he finished his story, Naruto could feel his heart racing, the time had come.

"That's it, Baa-chan. Sasuke lost all the memories he had and behaves like a baby ..."

"Can I hold him?" Hikari asked.

"Uh... Sure..." Naruto replied, handing her Sasuke.

Hikari grabbed Sasuke and pulled off his sweater, looking at his chest and back. Later, she concentrated her chakra in the palm of her hand and touched the boy's forehead.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm checking his chakra..." after a few minutes she stopped."The jutsu that was used is called the _Black Rebirth of the Phoenix Technique_ "the old lady pointed to the phoenix emblem in black."It's one of our most powerful techniques... it consisted in removing years of the life from an adversary, whether in body or mind. The more years it removes, more chakra is needed. You must have a lot of chakra, my boy" she said, looking at Naruto."Since young Itachi was dead, it was your chakra that he used. That is why you fainted... a common ninja would have ended up in a coma. "

"So that's why... Can you reverse the jutsu, Baa-chan?"

Hikari looked down and stared at Sasuke, who was waving his arms and legs in the air.

"The jutsu removes years from people as if they never existed. They lose their physical abilities, maturity, knowledge... it's all cleared to start again. The cells are rejuvenated, they lose body mass, the brain suffers a shock because the dead brain cells come back to life and the existing ones become younger, cognitive abilities disappear as the memories... "

Naruto heard the old lady, trying to understand what she said. But the words mixed up in his brain.

"What does that mean?"

"I mean that the person becomes like a blank canvas... The jutsu is permanent and irreversible."

Naruto felt the ground moving beneath him. His heart beat wildly; his head ached and he began to pant. Hikari approached him and grabbed him by the arm.

"Permanent...? The jutsu is permanent?" Naruto stammered, not wanting to believe it.

"I am very sorry, kid."

Naruto raised his hand to his face. During all those months he always believed that Sasuke would return to normal, that the situation was only temporary...

"Are you really sure? There's just no way to turn him back to normal?"

"There are jutsus that can age a person, but are dangerous and inhumane. Even if they could age him to his former age, his memories and his maturity would never return. He would be a baby trapped in a body of an adult. "

"His memories... the memories will never come back?"

Hikari shook her head.

"It's possible he will have some dreams about the memories, maybe some feelings of déjà vu. But his memories were lost forever. "

Naruto looked at Sasuke who was still waving his arms and legs in the air, cooing innocently. Uchiha Sasuke, the Academy genius, his teammate, his friend, his rival was gone... forever. Since his defection, Naruto lived clutching to those precious memories of his friendship with Sasuke. Now that Sasuke lost his memory, it was as if the fragile bond that united them as friends had finally broken.

"He will never remember us," the blond sobbed. "Sasuke is never going to remember our team, our adventures, our friendship... It's over... Our bond disappeared."

Naruto began to cry. He cried for him, Sasuke, Sakura and for all the memories that now were only his. Hikari watched the boy fell on his knees and weep, his heart broken. She let him cry at will, patting him on the back.

Sasuke managed to get up and sat on the floor. He stopped smiling when he noticed that Naruto was crying, he was filled with a great sadness but was not able to understand why. Shortly after, he also began to shed tears.

"Your bond is not gone, my boy," the old lady said. "A bond is only broken when two people give up on it. Your friend is not dead, he may have changed, he may not be able to remember, but it's still there. Your bond has not disappeared, it changed."

Naruto wiped his tears with the back of his hand.

"But... we were connected by our memories..."

"A bond is more than memories. While you're important to each other, your bond won't break. You can strengthen it, create new memories, he is still the same person. The jutsu has not changed that!"

Naruto finally noticed that Sasuke also began to cry. It was as if he saw him with different eyes now. Sasuke was a normal child, not an adult under a jutsu; he was a child that would grow up like any other. As if he had actually been born seven and a half months ago. Naruto stopped seeing the baby as an illusion of his former rival, but as a real child, a real Sasuke.

Hikari prepared to pick up Sasuke, but Naruto moved first and held him. The boy stared at Naruto with his big black eyes.

Hikari continued to observe them, and eventually spoke.

"Forty-five years ago, the leader of our clan was my great-uncle. He was a good leader, strong and dedicated, but as he grew older, he'd become obsessed with the rebirth jutsu. When he was nearly eighty years old, the members of our clan decided it would be better for him to retire and leave the leadership to a younger member. For that reason, he decided to use jutsu to become younger and stay in power.

He gathered fifteen members that were suitably dedicated, wrote a diary to leave instructions to his _"New"_ self and performed the jutsu, removing the chakra from the members who supported him. However, something went wrong..."

Naruto, who had turned to stare at her, widened his eyes.

"What happened?"

"He had planned to lose fifty years, that's why he gathered so many members and also not to kill anyone. But everyone has different levels of chakra, and my great-uncle didn't understand that. Instead of losing fifty years he lost seventy-eight years of his life! He was reduced to a two year old baby, unhappy, confused and without any memories of his past.

The clan was enraged; nobody knew what to do with the child. They all despised my great-uncle, they found him arrogant and greedy and many thought he had what he deserved. Not even his supporters wanted to keep him... the little boy was stuck among the adults who ignored and insulted him.

At the time, I was only twenty-two years old and I was not married. I was allowed to enter a meeting and it was when I first saw him: sitting in the corner, sucking his thumb and crying. Nobody cared about him and left him alone and despised.

When I got near him, he curled up against the wall, afraid that I was going hit him. I told him not to be afraid of me and he told me that no one liked him because he was a bad boy. I told him I thought he was not bad and I was sure he was very nice… it was then that he threw himself into my arms and called me _Mama_, over and over again. I fell in love with him and I ended up being the one to adopt him. I never regretted taking on Mamoru, he was my greatest blessing."

"Mamoru? Mamoru-san is your great-uncle? "Naruto asked, in disbelief.

"Exactly"

"Does he know?"

"No... All clan members were forbidden to tell him the truth. And I never had the courage to do so. He was nothing more than my son."

"Was he happy?"

Hikari smiled.

"I think so."

Naruto looked at Sasuke and stroked his hair.

_"Are you gonna be happy this time, Sasuke?"_

"There's something else you need to know, boy" the old lady continued. "Would you take off your sweater?"

"Heh? For what? "

"You will know soon..."

Naruto obeyed and undressed with one hand while the other held Sasuke. When he was topless, Hikari examined his chest.

"What's wrong? What are you looking for? "the blonde asked.

"Just as I thought... that Itachi must have been a genius for doing it..."

"Done what? What are you talking about, Baa-chan?"

Instead of answering, Hikari put her hand on Naruto and Sasuke's chests and whispered a few words. Suddenly, there was a seal on Naruto's chest. Several characters formed a circle near Naruto's heart. The same seal also appeared on Sasuke's chest.

"What is this?" Naruto asked. "What did you do?"

"I did nothing. Itachi was the one who did it, it is his work. Look at the baby's back. "

Naruto gasped when he saw a huge image of a black phoenix on Sasuke's back, from his neck to his ass.

"What is this?"

"These are the accommodation seals" Hikari explained. "Our clan uses these symbols for a different jutsu than the rebirth one. I believe that Itachi managed to unite the two jutsus into one..."

"Accommodation...? What does the jutsu do? "

"It's another technique that our clan has developed: Red Phoenix: Clan Integration Technique."

"What... Oh?" Naruto was amazed when a line of chakra came out of his body and clung to Sasuke's navel, being absorbed by it. "My chakra is being absorbed by Sasuke? What the hell is going on here?"

"He is not absorbing your chakra; he is turning your chakra into his."

"What?"

"The _Red Phoenix_ is a technique that our clan used when we wanted to receive someone to a clan. When a member of a clan could not conceive a child, they hired us to perform this jutsu in the children who they wanted to adopt. The jutsu transforms the adopted child in a true member of the clan, transferring him or her all their powers and Kekkei Genkai."

Naruto paled. Sasuke, meanwhile, tried to grab the chakra wire.

"What is happening to Sasuke?"

"He is assimilating your chakra. What are his chakra elements?"

"Ah... fire and lightning."

"And yours is the wind element?"

"Yes ... how do you know?"

"Because the baby assimilated your element. At this point, the boy has fire, lightning and wind element that you transferred to him. "

"Sasuke has the wind element?" Naruto yelled. "But I didn't do anything!"

"The seals that Itachi put in you are responsible for giving the baby your chakra. He has little affinity for the wind element, but it is increasing. The more chakra he assimilates, the greater the chances of him being able to use your skills in the future... Basically, this is an adoption technique, it is performed to turn him into a member of your clan and your family."

"A-Adoption? I'm adopting Sasuke?"

"The jutsu is not complete" Hikari explained. "For the adoption to be completed you have to give him more than your chakra, you gotta give him your blood. Thus the child becomes truly your son."

"Son? I... Sasuke is not my son! We are friends, rivals... He cannot be my son!"

"The jutsu does not turn children into biological children! All the characteristics that they inherited from their parents remain; this is just a stronger form of adoption. It doesn't change the child; it only adds a few traits from the adoptive parents. We call the biological father "Flesh Father" and the adoptive father "Blood Father" because his blood is going to run through the child's veins."

Naruto didn't know what to think. It was a lot of information at the same time! It was a shock to know that Sasuke would have to grow all over again and that he had to make a new bond with him, but knowing that Itachi wanted him to adopt Sasuke... be a father...

"I can't! I can't be his father! I can't!"

Hikari looked sadly at Sasuke, who looked at Naruto unaware of what was wrong. Hikari pulled out a red kunai from her pocket and gave it to Naruto, and then she muttered a few words and a new line of chakra appeared. This time the line left the seal on Sasuke's chest and stretched out until it got to Naruto. In the middle of Naruto's seal appeared a red kanji:

父

Chichi... Father...

In the middle of Sasuke's seal, also appeared two kanji:

息子

Musuko... Son...

Hikari pointed to the chakra line that bound Naruto and Sasuke's chests.

"This is the bond that this baby wants to establish with you," she explained. "He could have wished for a bond between siblings, between cousins or even between an uncle and a nephew. But he wants you to be his father; this is the feeling that he nourishes for you. If you wish to establish that bond with him, all you have to do is put a little of your blood on the Phoenix symbol in the baby's back and jutsu is completed" Hikari pointed to the red kunai. "If you want to break the jutsu and the adoption you have to cut the chakra string that links both your hearts... That way, you reject him and the bond between you two as a family will be broken."

* * *

**There you have it! The Black and Red phoenix idea came from Beyblade Season one (Black Dranzer and Dranzer). I guess Kai Hiwatari must have a huge fan girl base like Sasuke!**

**Shiraha means "White Feather".**

**Mamoru means "Protect".**

**Fushichō means "Eternal Bird", which is another way to say Phoenix.  
**

**Hahaue and Chichiue are very polite ways to say mother and father. Musuko means son.**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for the reviews and favorites!**


	10. Tragedy

**Sorry about the short chapter. I hope you like it though. Thanks for all the wonderfull reviews you guys wrote in the previous chapter! Should I aim for the 100 reviews? Anyway, here it is!**

**

* * *

**

**Tragedy**

悲劇 (_Higeki_)

Naruto watched the rain falling through the window. He had rented a small wooden house that had belonged to a farmer until his ninety-six years of life. When he finally died, his daughter started to rent the house and went to live more comfortably in the village.

The young ninja looked dejected and worried, next to him were a bowl of instant ramen only half eaten. Naruto had lost his appetite.

He had sent a letter to Fukasaku through a frog but he couldn't bring himself to write neither Gaara nor Tsunade. How could he tell them? He didn't even know what to do!

Sasuke was taking a nap in the next room. Instead of sleeping together as they had done in recent weeks, Naruto decided that it might be better for them to be apart for a while. He couldn't think straight! It had happened so much! How could he be Sasuke's father? Why were they imposing that bond with him?

Sasuke was his friend, his best friend. He could not be his father! Damn, Naruto was only seventeen-years-old. Never crossed his mind to have children, let alone have Sasuke as his son. He was not a father!

Also, he couldn't help thinking about the Sasuke that he had met when they were friends on Team 7... when it all made sense. That pain he felt when Sasuke attempted to kill him in the Valley of the End; all the sadness, betrayal, anger, helplessness... those feelings were still so fresh as if they had just happened yesterday.

_"You can __break the jutsu"_ said a voice in his subconscious. _"If you don't want to be his father, take the kunai and cut the chakra string! Your problems will be over! You'll be free!"_

The red kunai was in his orange pants' pocket. While sitting, he felt the weapon touching his flesh as if to remind him that he could end the jutsu if he wanted to. He even had picked the kunai and got closer to Sasuke, but for some reason, he was unable to do it and hid the kunai back as if it hurt his eyes.

Sasuke began to cry in the next room. Naruto tried to ignore the crying baby, frightened by the feelings that Sasuke had for him, and also by his own feelings. Sasuke continued to cry, probably hungry. Naruto eventually got up and dragged himself up to the next room. Sasuke saw him and hastened to raise his arms for Naruto to grab him. Naruto held the child against his chest, feeling that weird feeling again who he knew it wasn't friendship. When Sasuke saw the bottle of milk, Naruto realized he was right; the boy was starving.

When the meal ended, Naruto landed him against his shoulder and made him burp, eventually the baby smiled. Sasuke placed his hands on Naruto's chest and looked into his eyes.

"Baahh... Gaahh ..." the child babbled.

"Look at you, all happy! I think your life will be very simple in the coming years, huh? Just eat, sleep and play, you lucky teme!"

Sasuke continued to look at him with a smile. The baby looked so happy and so cute that Naruto also smiled as he stroked his raven hair.

"Daah... Gaahhh... Paahh... Paah... Papa!"

Naruto stopped stroking his hair and loosened his hug greatly.

"Sasuke...? What did you say? "

"Pa... Pa-pa... Papa... Papa!"

Naruto felt his whole body tense and his heart pounding with panic.

_"This is the __bond that baby wants to establish with you"_

The blond landed Sasuke on the futon and stood up, moving away from the baby.

"Papa?"

"No, Sasuke... I'm not ..."

"_But he wants you to be his father; this is the feeling that he nourishes for you."_

Sasuke continued to stare at Naruto with a confused expression on his face. The blond continued to move away. Sasuke had said his first word, he called him... called him father.

"Papa?"

Naruto opened the bedroom door and ran out. Sasuke was alone in the dark room; the confusion he felt was replaced by fear. He began to yell for Naruto, he wanted him to come back... But the blond came out of the old house into the rain, and asked a frog to take him to Mount Myōboku.

Sasuke continued shouting long after Naruto was gone. He felt fear, despair, sorrow... he felt abandoned. Unlike what had happened four years ago at the Valley of the End, this time it was Naruto who turned his back and fled while Sasuke yelled for him to return.

The baby cried and cried, but without success. The heavy rains triggered a landslide just above the old shack. The mud swept all before it, when it went inside the hut and it collapsed with a deafening bang, Sasuke was still screaming.

* * *

Fukasaku was home alone when they Naruto burst in. The boy was pale and out of breath; his clothes were soaking wet and his hair messy.

"Naruto-chan... What's wrong?" the old toad asked.

Naruto approached his mentor and knelt on the floor, his heart beating furiously against his ribs.

"What's wrong?" Fukasaku asked again. "You look awful!"

"I... I don't know what to do..."

"Do what?"

"Sasuke... he... he called me _Papa_."

Fukasaku blinked. He had read Naruto's letter, so he knew everything that had happened in the Shiraha clan. The old Toad knew Naruto had to make an important decision, he also understood his student's feelings of panic and confusion.

"When?"

"Right now... He called me Papa. Sasuke called me Papa! Me! His rival! Not long ago we fought against each other. We were enemies... we were best friends! And now Uchiha Sasuke wants me to be his father!"

"Naruto-chan..."

"I cannot be his father, Jii-chan sennin. I can't! "

"Naruto-chan... why are you running away?"

Naruto almost coughed with the shock from the words.

"Running away? What are you talking about? I didn't run away! "

Fukasaku sighed and looked his pupil in the eye.

"You are running away from yourself. You are hiding your own feelings for Sasuke-chan."

"What? I don't...! "

"Let me finish!" the old toad interrupted. "You are using the memories you have of your friendship with Sasuke-chan to deny how you really feel about him now."

Naruto was speechless.

"I already knew that Sasuke-chan sees you as his father for months! We've all seen it... And if you stopped lying to yourself and looked at your heart, you would realize the truth. You cannot live in the past, Naruto-chan."

"I don't live in the past!"

"Yes, you do. You grab desperately at your memories of the Sasuke-chan you knew so you can close your eyes to this. That was Sasuke-chan's big mistake, those who live in the past have no future."

Naruto sat down and buried his face in his hands.

_"Was it true? I'm running away? "_

"I can't change my bond with Sasuke" Naruto said finally. "I can't go from friend to father!"

"Why? Why are you afraid that your friendship will end if you considered Sasuke-chan something else besides your friend? "

Naruto blinked in surprise. It was exactly what he felt.

"Naruto-chan... what do you feel _at this moment_ for Sasuke-chan?"

"He... he is so small... I like to be with him. When I'm not, I'm too worried. I want him to be happy; I want to protect him... "

Fukasaku rested a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"That is a father's love, Naruto-chan..."

Naruto looked at his old mentor open-mouthed.

"A father's love...?"

"You love him, Naruto-chan. It's so obvious that it even hurts... You love him like a father loves his son."

"But... I'm not his father..."

"Yes, you are! You have been his father since you brought him to this house almost eight months ago. The bond that binds you is as real as if he was your biological child. "

"But ... how can I take care of Sasuke and pretend that he is my son?"

Fukasaku forced Naruto to look him in the eye.

"Because you're not pretending and you know it. Sasuke-chan is your son and you are his father!"

Naruto rested a hand on his chest. A son... he loved Sasuke as his son? Why did his heart tell him that was true? Was that the feeling he had for Sasuke? That strange feeling that he could not name?

_"I'm __his father?"_

"But... even if I do love him, even if I'm his father... what if he ends up unhappy again? What if I raise him badly? I am not a responsible adult! I have no idea how to be a father! I will eventually mess up everything! If Sasuke grows up miserably because of me ... how can I live with that? "

"You have been a wonderful father in the last months. As long as you love your son, I am sure it will be okay. By the way, who did you leave Sasuke-chan with?"

Naruto stood up with a leap, horrified by what he had done. He had left Sasuke alone in an abandoned house!

Naruto shot out of Fukasaku's house and made a frog summon him to the Land of Trees. When he arrived, he immediately thought he was in the wrong place, he couldn't see the hut anywhere, just mud...

It was then that Naruto felt his blood freeze in his veins. The chimney of the hut was buried beneath tons of mud and completely demolished.

"SASUKE!"

* * *

**So, there! This time, it was Naruto who betrayed Sasuke and defected. And yeah, Naruto is in denial!**

**Feel free to review and tell me what you think! **


	11. Don't go!

**Well... here it is. I hope you like this chapter. Thanks to all who reviewed and favorite this story, it means a lot to me.**

**It's funny, I wrote this and uploaded the chapter on Friday the 13th *looking for Jason Voorhes* **

* * *

**Don't go!**

移動しないでください！(_Idō shinaide_!)

Naruto went towards the buried hut, screaming Sasuke's name without stop. Besides the rain's sound, he could not hear anything.

"No, Sasuke... No..." the blond moaned, lifting his hands to his face in despair. "Where are you?"

Nothing. Not even a faint cry.

Naruto took a deep breath, trying to control himself and think.

"Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he cried, gathering up as many clones as he could. The original and clones immediately began to dig the mud.

Naruto excavated, removed pieces of wood, stones and mud without stopping for what seemed like hours. His hands were scratched and filled with cuts, but he continued ignoring the pain.

_"Please, __Sasuke ... Don't be dead! It's all my fault, don't die... please..."_

Naruto's clones were not having better luck. They were all removing the rubble without rest, but found nothing. Naruto felt increasingly desperate as the minutes passed. He didn't want to find a corpse, anything but that...

One of the clones had just removed a tree stump when he thought he heard something. At first, he thought it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but realized that the sound was real.

"Quiet!" he cried to all the others. Everyone was sent back to silence, the original rose in anticipation.

Clone stood again to listen. First he heard nothing but finally managed to hear something like a groan beneath the rubble.

"There's something here!"

The original ran faster than any clone and arrived at the scene. Several clones helped him to raise the huge wooden plank. The wailing sound was getting closer.

"Quick!" the original ordered. "Help me with this!"

They all raised the piece of wood and thrown it away. Naruto looked down and almost fainted. Sasuke had been protected by the planks that had formed a sort of box around him, protecting him from dying stuffy or crushed. The baby was crying almost hoarse, he was wet and dirty, but didn't appear injured.

Naruto dispelled the jutsu and fell on his knees, grabbing Sasuke against him.

"Sasuke... Sasuke… What a relief..." Naruto muttered, cradling the baby against his chest. "I'm so glad you're alive… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!"

Sasuke gradually stopped crying. He had been so afraid! He cried but nobody had come. He thought he would die there, all alone in the dark... But his father had come! He was here, he had returned and Sasuke knew it was going to be okay now. The infant clung to Naruto´s sweater with all his might, afraid that his father would leave him again.

Naruto took off his coat and wrapped it around Sasuke. The boy was cold and trembling, he had to take him to a doctor. But for now, Naruto merely held Sasuke.

"Sorry, Sasuke. I'm so sorry... It was all my fault, forgive me..."

Sasuke couldn't understand what Naruto had said, he just felt happy that he was there. His father was so warm and strong. Sasuke liked him so much... the baby curled up against Naruto, enjoying all the love that radiated from his father, feeling safe and happy.

"Papa..." the boy stammered. Now that he was safe, Sasuke managed to finally fall asleep.

Naruto had tears running down his dirty face. He hated himself for having left Sasuke alone, he could have died!

Still crying, Naruto began to run towards the village's hospital.

* * *

_Three days later_

Sasuke had a slight fever after having been saved from the rubble. There was nothing serious and the doctor and nurses thought it was a miracle he had survive just with the flu after a cabin and many tons of wood, mud and rocks had fallen upon him.

Naruto had both hands completely covered in bandages. Most cuts and grazes had healed, but the fingers, which had been raw and his nails which had separated from the flesh, would take some time to heal. Naruto didn't care about the pain; the guilt he felt was harder to heal.

After entering the hospital, Naruto asked the nurse if he could visit Sasuke. The nurse was a middle-aged friendly woman who was always delighted to see him. It was rare for a young man to care so much about a baby; most teens would rather be having fun with their friends or flirting with girls.

"He's much better today," the nurse said kindly. "I'm sure the doctor will discharge him tonight."

"Good..." Naruto said.

Sasuke had been in a nursery with two other babies, in a room with six cribs. The mothers of the two other babies had already left, so Naruto was alone. Sasuke was in the crib next to the window.

"You can stay as long as you want" the nurse said. "If you need anything, just call," and left the nursery, closing the door behind her.

Naruto moved to Sasuke's crib and sat in a chair beside him. The little boy slept peacefully, lying face down with his thumb in his mouth.

"Hello..." Naruto murmured softly not to wake the babies. "They told me you're better..."

Sasuke continued to sleep. Naruto looked at his wounded hands and rubbed them against each other.

"I think I better say this now while I have the courage... please forgive me ... Sasuke. Forgive me! I abandoned you... I was a coward. I ran away from you and you almost died because of that, it was all my fault...

You don't remember but we were great friends. At least for me, you were my best friend. You were so strong and cool! I wanted to be just like you. And I want you to know, you bastard... I never hated you for leaving. Never, not once.

These last months... well, I liked being with you. You are so smart and cute that I'm sure you'll become a fine young man. I hope this time you may grow up happy, Sasuke. I want you to be happy, make friends...you don't need many, as long as they are true friends. You gotta be more careful this time; I don't want you to hurt yourself. Do **not** eat many strawberries because you're allergic. Be careful with girls, they won't leave you alone in a few years. Study hard and follow your dreams. And don't give up no matter what happens..."

Naruto stood up and stroke the baby's black hair.

"I can't stay with you... I can't. You need a family… a real family with a mother and a father. You need brothers to play with and a nice house, maybe a dog or a cat...

I met a family who wants to have a third child. The mother is very nice and beautiful, you'll like her... the father is also very cool and loves his children and wife, their two children are twins and they also want a little brother to play with. They all have black hair and black eyes like you, so you definitely won't feel different. They live in a big house with a garden; they even have a tree house, isn't that great? "

Sasuke woke up. Naruto stood watching him open his eyes slowly and yawning. When the baby finally noticed Naruto he looked at him with his big sleepy eyes.

"This Land is very far away from the ninja world... Probably the inhabitants don't even know what a ninja is. On one side is a waste, you were such a gifted shinobi... but maybe it's better this way. You can live in peace without the need to fight against anybody. "

Sasuke began to laugh and raised his arms. Naruto grabbed him and sat in the chair. The baby's arms were around his neck and Naruto patted his back, feeling the weight of separation.

"Will you remember me? Probably not... But I want you to know that I'll never forget you, Sasuke. Never..."

Sasuke, oblivious about what Naruto was saying, merely rested his head against Naruto's blond hair. The baby went back to sleep smiling.

* * *

During sunset, Naruto was already at the gate of the Minamoto house. The family that he had observed and studied during the last three days had gone to a picnic and would be home soon.

When they arrived, they would find Sasuke.

Naruto went through the gate and went down the terrace towards the doorstep. He could smell the flowers that Mrs. Minamoto so carefully planted in the garden surrounding the house and in the flowerbeds along the windows.

Sasuke was asleep, wrapped in a blanket. As Naruto approached the door he realized what he was about to do.

_"I'm doing what's right for Sasuke"_ he said to himself. _"He is not safe with me; I'm not what he needs. What matters is that Sasuke is happy."_

The doorstep was right in front of him. Naruto looked at Sasuke's sleeping face of and hugged him, knowing that it was the last time he would see him. The tears began running down his cheeks, falling on the baby's red blanket.

"Goodbye, Sasuke..."

Before cowing, Naruto landed Sasuke on the doorstep and walked off with his head down, repressing a cry.

Sasuke finally awoke. He didn't recognize the place where he was and could only see a huge door and the sky getting dark. With some difficulty, he unraveled the blanket and sat down, looking from side to side. Feeling alone again, the baby almost started crying until he saw Naruto's unmistakable blonde hair moving away.

"Daahh... Gaah! Daaah! "the boy exclaimed, stretching his hands towards Naruto, but the latter continued to move away.

Sasuke wanted to go to his father. When trying to go down the doorstep, the baby ended up face down, lifting his head and chest with his arms outstretched. Sasuke wanted to move and go to his father that continued to move away. Perhaps it was a game; if he got to him, his papa would be happy and proud of Sasuke.

Straining the knees, the baby stood on all fours. After that, his right hand stretched forward, the left hand stretched further and, instinctively, he pulled his right knee and moved forward with his right hand... he was moving.

Naruto continued to walk, unable to stop the tears from falling. He still felt the warmth from Sasuke's small body, but the decision had been made. He couldn't...

"Papa..."

Naruto stopped suddenly. Could have sworn he had heard...

"Papa!"

With wide eyes, Naruto turned back. Sasuke had woken up and left the blanket... crawling towards Naruto.

Sasuke was crawling!

The baby smiled at Naruto, glad for getting his attention. Even more determined, Sasuke continued to move forward.

"Sasuke... you..." Naruto murmured, while Sasuke keep crawling towards him. "Stop! Don't make this more difficult than it already is..."

But Sasuke continued to crawl.

"Pa... pa... Papa..." the baby said, stretching out his right arm, asking him to come to him.

Naruto retreated several steps, shaking his head as if to reject what Sasuke wanted from him. Sasuke's expression changed, the baby was surprised and confused. He could not understand why Naruto was moving away.

"Papa?"

Naruto turned and began running towards the gate.

Seeing that Naruto was running away from him, Sasuke still stretched his arm harder in a futile attempt to reach him. Sasuke continued to crawl, but Naruto was getting farther away.

He was going way... His father was leaving him! He was leaving him and would never return.

"PAPA!" Sasuke shouted, now with tears running down his blushed cheeks. "PAPA! PAPA! "

Naruto could not ignore the screams and turned around. Sasuke's eyes were filled with tears and he still continued to crawl towards him.

The baby could hardly breathe amid the sobs of despair, the hurt evident in his eyes.

_"Why?"_

"Go back... please Sasuke. Go back... I..."

But Sasuke moved forward. He was tired, his arms and legs hurt but he didn't stop.

_"Don'__t go. Please don't go!"_

Naruto took a step back, shaking his head. Sasuke tried to crawl faster, but slipped and fell to the ground. He tried to get up, but his arms would not obey him. He didn't take his eyes off Naruto the whole time.

_"Don't leave me..."_

Naruto turned his back and took a step forward. Sasuke lowered his head and huddled against the floor crying desperately, heartbroken.

Naruto stopped and clenched his fists tightly. After turning around he observed the child crying.

Without thinking, he took a step towards Sasuke. Then another. And another... When he realized, was already a meager two meters from the baby.

"Sasuke..." he murmured softly.

The baby opened his eyes and looked up in disbelief, still sobbing and sniffing but the crying stopped. Naruto let himself fall on his knees and Sasuke continued to stare into his eyes, tears still running down on both their faces. Finally, Naruto held out his arms.

Sasuke merely looked at the arms, fearing it was a lie. But Naruto continued with arms outstretched, welcoming him. Slowly, Sasuke gathered strength in his arms and legs to be on all fours.

More confident, Sasuke crawled in his direction. The sun had set and the sky had acquired a shade of blue and pink, the stars shining in the sky.

Sasuke crawled into Naruto's arms and they hugged in the dusk, fitting as two pieces of a puzzle.

Naruto leaned his head against Sasuke's face and two tears fell on the baby's black hair.

This time, Naruto felt the seal forming underneath the sweater and noticed the chakra wire coming out of his body only to be absorbed by Sasuke. With one hand, he pulled Sasuke's shirt up, revealing his back. The symbol of the Dark Phoenix gradually appeared.

With the other hand, Naruto picked up the red kunai from his pocket. The chakra line that united their two hearts became immediately visible.

Sasuke leaned his head against Naruto's chest and closed his eyes; his two little hands clutched the blond's coat hard, smiling.

Naruto could not stop looking at the chakra line. It was so thin. A small cut with the kunai and everything would be over; it would be so easy...

Naruto raised his kunai in the air and brought it down with force...

...piercing his hand, which held Sasuke's back.

The blood ran down his hand and fingers, hot and sticky. Naruto watched the red liquid touch Sasuke's pale skin and running down his back.

The Black Phoenix turned red as blood and gave a faint glow. Naruto felt a shock from head to toes when his coat and shirt were opened suddenly, causing the small amount of chakra that he was donating Sasuke to became huge and explosive, passing to the baby with an alarming speed. Naruto's blood merged with the Phoenix's symbol, which stretched its wings gloriously before shrinking in it and be absorbed by the boy's skin. The blood quickly reached Sasuke's bone marrow where it multiplied.

Naruto's blood merged with Sasuke's, the baby's AB blood type received Naruto's B blood type and the Uzumaki's DNA was mixed with the Uchiha's.

Naruto held Sasuke against him as the jutsu was completed and his chakra and blood began to belong to the baby's body, making them true blood relatives. When it finished, Naruto felt the flow of chakra diminish and disappear. The seal of the Phoenix was gone on Sasuke's back along with both seals from their chests and the chakra line that united their hearts. They were no longer necessary since they had fulfilled its function.

Naruto was panting and tired, but when he looked at Sasuke he could not stop smiling. The baby opened his onyx eyes and looked curiously at Naruto, who let him grab his blond hair. Naruto could feel his son's heart beat in unison with his.

His son. Sasuke was his son.

_"My son, he__ is my son!"_

Sasuke placed his hands on his father's chest and smiled delightedly.

"Papa… Papa…"

"_I am his father... I'm Sasuke's father. He is my child."_

Naruto leaned his forehead against his son's forehead, causing Sasuke to giggle and grab a lock of his father's hair.

"I guess… I'm your Dad now, Sasuke" Naruto told him tenderly. "Oh God, what am I gonna do?"

* * *

Naruto wrote two letters, one to Gaara, not forgetting to thank him for all the work he had to learn the jutsu and for having kept his secret, and another to Tsunade.

Naruto told her everything that had happened and what he had decided to do. They still had to deal with some details, but the Hokage finally agreed with his plan. So, Naruto sent a frog to Konoha with Uchiha Sasuke's sword and Tsunade announced to the world that the last Uchiha was killed by his former teammate, Naruto Uzumaki.

Over time, people would eventually forget Sasuke's atrocities and continue with their lives. But Naruto couldn't return to Konoha and take the risk that people would found out the truth about his adopted son. As Sasuke grew up, ninjas, especially his friends and teachers would be suspicious. He didn't want Sasuke to grow up surrounded by the contempt and hatred that Naruto had lived during his childhood.

As painful as it was for Naruto, they would have to live out of the village for awhile, at least until things calmed down. So Tsunade announced that Uzumaki Naruto, the war hero and candidate for Hokage, would follow the example of his master Jiraiya and travel the world for an indefinite period of time.

The blond in question had just read the letter Tsunade wrote him after giving the "news" to his friends and teachers. Naruto felt guilty for worry them, but knew he had no other choice at the moment. When the time came, he would take his son home with him.

The baby was fast asleep on an old futon in a room of a motel that Naruto rented while taking all precautions on their future. The young ninja sighed deeply, yet was frightened by the responsibility that expected and the difficulties that would they would face… But when he saw Sasuke sleeping so peacefully, Naruto felt more relieved.

The young father lay down beside the baby and slept with his son in his arms.

* * *

In an icy prison in the Land of Iron, the samurai were running from one side to another. Two very dangerous prisoners had escaped from their cells, burst the prison wall and escaped. The snow covered up their footsteps and eventually the samurai couldn't get them.

After a year and two months in a High Security Prison in the Land of Iron, Suigetsu Hōzuki and Jūgo were free.

Apart from that war had begun and ended, they had no information about what had happened in the rest of the shinobi world. Sasuke and Karin had disappeared and never tried to free them.

There were rumors in jail about Sasuke being ahead of Akatsuki with Madara and that he was the only one to survive the war. About Karin they didn't heard anything, she might as well be dead.

Whatever happened to them, Suigetsu and Jūgo were arrested as terrorists while Sasuke Uchiha, the person who formed the team and that united them, left when they lost their usefulness.

Oh, no! They would not be passively waiting for the death sentence! They had the intention to know all that had passed since their "leader" had left them under the rubble. Sasuke Uchiha had a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

**This is it! This chapter goes back to the first chapter (if you're confused go check it out). This the end of Part 1 if you like... Shippudden is coming soon.**

**Sasuke is now also an Uzumaki and has inherited Naruto's incredible vitality. His affinity for lightning and wind are the same. He can still use the fire element.**

**I have no idea if Sasuke is allergic to strawberries, I just thought it would be funny since in many fanfics that I read, Sasuke uses strawberries perfume, or lotion, or shampoo... And I never actually understood why... maybe because it's an aphrodisiac, hmm...**

**Sasuke's blood type is still AB. If he was type A he would become AB, if he was type O he would become B, if he was type B he would still be B. (A and B are dominant and O is recessive).**

**Next chapter will be after a time-skip. I hope you liked it! Feel free to review! **


	12. Operation Fox Hunt

**Hey there! Welcome to this new "arc" within this story. I hope you'll still enjoy it!**

**I'm not planning on any pairings. I'll give a few hints but nothing serious, I prefer to be ambiguous.**

**Also, Sakura's birthday is on 28th March, which surprised me because it's actually close to mine. My birthday is on 11th March.**

**Thanks for the previous reviews! I got to the 100! Next objective: reach the 120 reviews!**

* * *

**Operation Fox Hunt**

操作キツネ狩り (_Sōsa kitsune kari_)

_Two years later_

_29th March, Konohagakure_

Haruno Sakura woke up with a huge headache. She felt her head heavy and her brain made into mush, her stomach was spinning and she felt her eyes swollen.

_"What the hell happened last nigh__t?"_ she asked herself as she got out of bed. An empty bucket was conveniently placed next to the pillow.

Sakura put her hand in her face and sighed. As a medical ninja, she recognized the signs of a hangover, even if she didn't want to admit it. A little dizzy, she managed to drag herself to the bathroom and washed her face. When she saw the mirror she saw a young pale and sick girl. Her pink colored hair, which recently she decided to grow back, was in disarray and without glow, her green eyes red and swollen.

She finally remembered. Sakura had gone to celebrate her ninetieth birthday at a restaurant along with Ino, Tsunade and Shizune. Sai, Kakashi and Captain Yamato already had given her congratulations but could not come to dinner. Now that she thought about it, Sakura was glad that they hadn't come. The last thing she remembered was drinking a bottle of sake without stopping.

"Holy shit..." she muttered to the mirror.

"You can say that again!"

Ino was leaning against the door of the bathroom with a radiant smile on her lips. Her long blond hair was perfectly combed and stuck in her usual horse-tail, her clothes were clean and prim and proper... while Sakura was exhausted, nauseated and with a huge stain of vomit in her nightdress.

"What are you doing here, Ino?" she said sourly.

"I did the favor to drag you home, drunk like a fish, after we left restaurant. While you staggered and shouted nonsense I undressed you, dressed you with a pajama and lay you in bed. But before you vomited all the way from the restaurant to the apartment entrance. You threw up at 4 am again... "

"Shit ..."

Ino shrugged.

"It's for you to learn to not drink before you're 20."

"It was Shishou who told me to drink a bottle!"

"But she told you not to drink the next five."

"Five? No! "

"Oh yeah!"

Sakura covered her eyes, trying to remember the previous night. All she could remember was a group of waiters shouting... something.

"Tell me the truth: did I make a fool out of myself?"

"You want me to tell you the truth or tell you that you I didn't make a fool out of yourself?"

"Oh shit!" Sakura sat on the toilet seat and looked at Ino. "What happened?"

"Well ... first you begun to grumble and complain that you had put on weight since last month. After complaining about that you told Tsunade-sama she was not giving you any missions lately. Finally, you complained about Naruto. "

"What did I said about Naruto?"

"Oh, the usual... that he should have returned to Konoha, has passed two years and eight months since he left, what the hell he is doing, why he doesn't return to Konoha as he should... the usual. "

"I see..." Sakura replied, rising. "Tsunade-sama was angry with me?"

Ino shook her head.

"No... she laughed! Said you were welcome to the adult women world! "

Sakura laughed and followed Ino to the door.

"Tonight..." Sakura whispered so no one could hear.

"I'll be there," Ino said. "Goodbye!"

After Ino was gone, Sakura took a painkiller and took a bath. It was hard to believe that she finally bought her own apartment. It was nothing special, but was hers alone! Living alone was an important step in adult life and she felt proud of herself.

Of course Naruto and Sasuke already lived alone since childhood...

As always when she thought about her teammates, Sakura felt a wave of pain in her chest. She was furious and felt betrayed when Naruto had left Konoha to kill Sasuke, not because she didn't understand he had to kill him, but because he didn't have the courage to talk to her.

Only three days later she found out that Naruto had left, when she went to his house to see if he was okay. When she asked the Hokage about Naruto, she discovered that he had decided to kill Sasuke on his own and didn't want any help.

Kakashi also had been sad with the decision, but didn't feel as betrayed as Sakura. Their sensei came to accept Naruto's decision and said to Sakura that they had to trust him.

When the attacks ended in the Land of Mountains, everyone in Konoha had assumed that Naruto had completed his mission and that Sasuke Uchiha was dead. However, Naruto didn't return home. Days, weeks and months went by, but Naruto did not return. He had disappeared just like Sasuke.

Tsunade sent squads to seek him; Sakura and Kakashi did also go, but found nothing. Naruto's trail, like Sasuke's, ended in the last village Sasuke destroyed. And since it had been weeks since Naruto had left, the tracks were lost.

It was as if the two had vanished from the face of the earth. Obviously, they began to formulate hypothesis about what happened: Naruto could have defeated Sasuke and was injured or dead, they could have killed each other, could have allied themselves and fled...

Anyone who dared to believe in the latter case in front of Sakura ended up unconscious and bleeding. Naruto would never follow Sasuke, there was no brotherly love that would make Uzumaki Naruto betray the village.

_"I know him! Naruto would never join Sasuke-kun... and Sasuke-kun would never let Naruto ally with him"_ Sakura thought while washing her hair.

However, as the days passed, Sakura began to fear the worst. There was a huge possibility that both her Team 7 friends had fought and died together... as Naruto said he would.

Eight months after Naruto has gone, and soon after Sakura turned eighteen, Tsunade assembled all the ninjas in the village to announce that Naruto had contacted the village and declared that he had killed Uchiha Sasuke by bringing his sword. Sasuke's body was destroyed and Naruto would travel the world.

The Hokage forbade them from looking for Naruto. Sakura and all her classmates and teachers wanted to know more details about what had happened and why Naruto only contacted Konoha after eight months, but Tsunade simply told them that Naruto had been resting and was already in good health.

Sakura wondered what kind of injuries would have been for Naruto to take 8 months to heal. It was all too suspicious. The Naruto that she knew would not go around the world when the village needed him.

The young ninja returned to the room wrapped in a towel and put her casual clothes. Apart from some reports, she had the day off.

On the desk were two photos: one of the new Team Kakashi, who they took after a mission in which she, Naruto, Sai, Captain Yamato and Kakashi-sensei were smiling for a photograph in front of Ichiraku Ramen. The second picture was of the original team 7.

Despite everything that had happened, Sakura mourned Sasuke. His death saddened her as much as Kakashi's in a way that no other team could understand. When looking at the old photo, Sakura could not suppress her eyes from filling with tears.

Sasuke was dead. Naruto had disappeared. And she, again, was left behind and spaced out.

Sakura wiped her tears furiously and rushed to leave. This time there were not going to leave her behind!

After passing the hospital and finishing some reports, Sakura decided to visit her Shishou, hoping not to have humiliated herself last night as much as she imagined. When passing through the halls of Hokage Residence, Sakura crossed with the members of Team Kurenai: Kiba, Shino and Hinata.

"Oh! Hello "Sakura greeted.

"If it isn't Sakura" said Kiba as Akamaru barked at his side. "It's been awhile."

"Good morning" Shino said, simply.

"Good morning, Sakura-san" Hinata greeted softly.

"Your mission went well?" Sakura asked.

"We completed the mission in record time!" Kiba exclaimed.

"We just talked to Tsunade-sama" Hinata said.

"Well..." Kiba continued. "Hinata was eager to hear news about Naruto."

Hinata blushed like a tomato "I..."

Sakura's body was suddenly tense.

"News? How so?"

"Tsunade-sama... received a letter from Naruto-kun last night..." Hinata said a little embarrassed. "I thought... I thought you knew, Sakura-san..."

"I didn't know... Thanks for having warned me, goodbye" Sakura pulled away, then stopped and turned to his colleagues. "Don't forget..."

"Yes! Tonight! We didn't forget! "Kiba exclaimed.

As Team Kurenai left the building, Sakura knocked gently at her mentor's door. She could not show up too anxious, or Tsunade could come to be suspicious of her motives.

"Come in!" the Hokage ordered, looking up from the scrolls she was reading when she saw her student. "Oh Sakura! What brings you here? "

"Good morning, Shishou. I came to deliver the reports from the hospital"

"Leave them on the desk... Shizune will see them later. How do you feel? "

Sakura blushed. She knew the teacher was referring to the binge.

"Much better than when I woke up."

Tsunade smiled.

"There's nothing like our first hangover to feel like an adult!"

"I hope I didn't embarrass you..."

"It would be very difficult to embarrass me after all the nonsense I've ever done. Enjoy your time off!"

"Thank you, Shishou... I heard... that Naruto wrote you."

Tsunade was a little tense but smiled at her.

"Hinata told you, huh? Yes, indeed. The letter arrived yesterday. "

"Why didn't you say anything at dinner?"

"I didn't want to disturb you in your birthday party. You're always angry when Naruto writes. "

Sakura nodded slowly.

"Could you tell me what he wrote, please? Is he okay?"

Tsunade put down her brush on the table and stared at her student. Sakura had become a great ninja in recent years and the Hokage felt an immense pride and affection for her, like she was her little sister. However, Sakura was still only 19 years old.

"He said everything was fine and is learning many new techniques. He wishes you a happy birthday and said he missed everyone here in Konoha. "

"He said when he is coming back?"

Tsunade sighed. Sakura asked always the same questions: when will Naruto come back and where is he.

"No, he didn't say. He also didn't say where he is. "

"But ... how long is he going to travel? It has been almost three years! "

"That's up to him. Naruto is no longer a child and has the right to travel a bit after all the sacrifices he made for Konoha. "

Sakura felt a bit embarrassed by her outburst, but did not give up.

"I know he has the right to travel... but it doesn't sound like him, Shishou. Naruto wants to be Hokage! He loves Konoha and he had already traveled with Jiraiya-sama. Something doesn't sound right ... Would not it be better to have someone look for him? Just to confirm that he is okay? "

"We've had this conversation, Sakura. Naruto is a trusted ninja and I gave him permission to travel without being disturbed and I hope you will not ignore my orders. "

Sakura lowered her head. No point arguing anymore.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry... "

"You have no reason to worry Sakura, believe me. When you least expect, that brat shows up."

After Sakura left her office, Tsunade leaned against the chair and sighed. Keeping Naruto's secret of was not as easy as she hoped.

Naruto's letter had come from a distant land called Land of Sun, a little-known peninsula with no ninjas, which subsisted on trade and tourism. What she had told Sakura was true; Naruto wished her a happy birthday and said he had missed them all. He also told Tsunade that had mastered many new techniques and Sasuke's new developments.

Tsunade recalled when she received Naruto's letter, two years earlier. She felt stunned, confused, angry and not knowing what to do about it. For this reason, demanded Naruto to meet with her outside of Konoha.

* * *

_Tsunade was sitting on a bench near the forest surrounding Konoha. Naruto's letter was tucked in one pocket completely crumpled._

_After months of concerns with that mischievous kid, Tsunade received the most bizarre letter of her life. She needed to see Naruto with her own eyes to understand. She also had to see Sasuke._

_A shadow emerged from the trunk of a tree. Tsunade rose from the bench. Finally, Naruto Uzumaki appeared in front of her, smiling as always._

_"Hello Baa-chan" he greeted cheerfully, as if nothing had happened._

_Naruto was a little taller than the last time she saw him in her office but appeared healthy and well fed. But the Hokage's attention was fixed on the bundle that the young ninja held in his arms._

_"Naruto... That is...?"_

_Naruto looked at the bundle and smiled sadly._

_"What I wrote was true, Baa-chan."_

_"That's Sasuke?"_

_Naruto nodded._

_"Want to see him?"_

_Tsunade approached Naruto and he handed her the bundle into her arms. The Fifth Hokage stared, open-mouthed, the baby asleep in the blankets, the resemblance with Sasuke Uchiha was astonishing._

_"Unbelievable! This child is Sasuke? "_

_"It's true."_

_"And the Shiraha clan's jutsu did this? I cannot believe it ... I thought the rebirth jutsu was a legend. How Itachi did know about it? "_

_Naruto shrugged._

_"I have no idea..."_

_Tsunade continued to gaze at the sleeping baby. She could not believe that child was the international criminal who they had fought against. The baby looked healthy, was clean and warm enough. What shocked her most was his peaceful expression as he slept._

_"You have been taking care of him?_

_"Yes."_

_"Uzumaki Naruto taking care of a baby? That is scary ..."_

_"Hey! I take good care of him! "_

_"That's what surprises me" Tsunade felt the baby move and looked at him. Sasuke was awake and looked startled and sleepy at the stranger who was holding him. "Oh! He woke up ..."_

_Sasuke could not take his eyes off the pretty lady who was holding him, rubbing his chubby little hands._

_"Beehh... Gaaah..."the boy gurgled._

_Tsunade was also surprised. How could this innocent and adorable baby be Uchiha Sasuke ?_

_"So he lost his memories..." the Hokage murmured as she unwrapped Sasuke's blanket and laid him on the garden bench to examine him._

_While the medical ninja checked his reflexes, vision and hearing, Sasuke started to get nervous and whimpered at that stranger. Tsunade blinked, surprised._

_"What's wrong, little boy? I'm not hurting you. "_

_Sasuke cringed when she tried to him pick up and cried even louder. Naruto came over and stood in front of Sasuke. Seeing his father, the baby calmed down and stretched his arms so Naruto would hold him._

_"Papa! Papa! "Sasuke exclaimed, clinging to Naruto._

_"Look at you, huh?" Naruto said to the baby in his arms. "You don't have to worry. Papa is not going anywhere! "_

_Tsunade was amazed. Naruto was behaving like a true loving father, stroking Sasuke's back until he cooled off. The baby seemed very happy in the arms of the ninja that he had tried to kill several times and now loved with all his heart._

_Sasuke had really become Uzumaki Naruto's son._

_"The jutsu is truly extraordinary, he became a perfectly normal baby," Tsunade said. "There is nothing to indicate that he was previously an adult."_

_Naruto nodded slowly and returned Sasuke to sit on the bench for Tsunade to continue to examine him. After a few minutes, the doctor pulled out a syringe from her pocket and ordered Naruto to hold the baby._

_"You're going to take his blood?" Naruto asked. "Why?"_

"_Sasuke is a new person now and will need new documents. I will open a new file for him and I need all the data I can. Now hold him tight! "_

_Naruto grabbed Sasuke and Tsunade poked him with the needle, causing the boy to scream in pain and try to flee. When Tsunade handed him over and put a plaster on the sting, Sasuke curled up against Naruto's chest still crying in pain._

_"Naruto... are you sure you want to travel? Wouldn't it be easier to get back to Konoha with Sasuke? We could help you..."_

_"Thanks, Baa-chan. But I want Sasuke to have a happy and carefree childhood. It is too dangerous for him to return to Konoha ..."_

_The baby continued to cry softly. Sasuke put his thumb to his mouth and sucked on it, leaning his head against his father's chest._

_"But... I want to bring Sasuke back to Konoha one day. This is still his home, I just want him to be welcome "Naruto stared at the Hokage's eyes."Baa-chan... Could you still accept Sasuke as a Konoha shinobi?"_

_Tsunade looked at the baby and sighed._

_"The kid was a genius the first time," she said softly. "From the strategic point of view it would be a huge waste to give up a ninja so talented..."_

_"Thank you, Baa-chan! You won't regret it! Sasuke will be a great ninja! "_

_"If Sasuke wants to become a ninja, he will be welcome in Konoha" Tsunade said with a serious tone. "I hope you won't try to "recreate" the UchihaSasuke you knew, Naruto. That's wrong; you should let this kid be whatever he wants! "_

_"Of course I'm not going to force Sasuke; he can be whoever he wants! I'm just saying that if he wants to be a ninja I liked that he belonged to Konoha. I'll let him grow normally! "_

_Tsunade approached Naruto. Seeing her, Sasuke was worried that she would return to make another boo-boo. But Tsunade merely stroke his raven hair._

_"I think after all that this kid went through, he deserves a normal childhood without traumas," said the Hokage. "I will agree with your plan Naruto, but with conditions..."_

_Naruto blinked confused._

_"What conditions?"_

_"First, you'll write me every month and you must tell me everything you did and how Sasuke is growing. Second, every year you will receive a visit from me or from the Kazekage for us to examine Sasuke with our own eyes. Are we clear? "_

_"I ... Okay, I accept. I'll invoke a frog to get you. "_

_"Good. I'll be responsible for Sasuke's documents and..." Tsunade pulled an envelope from her pocket and gave it to Naruto. "This is my statement of how you're not a missing-nin and gives you permission to work on behalf of Konoha where you want. I also added some money. "_

_"Thank you"_

_"Ah! And Naruto... "_

_"Huh?"_

_"Do not feed him exclusively with Ramen!"_

_Tsunade waved Naruto goodbye and returned to Konoha._

* * *

In the present, Sakura decided to sit on a bench near Konoha's gates. She didn't expect the Hokage to tell her where Naruto was, but she was still disappointed. They were teammates; they were classmates since they were children. Why couldn't she know where that orange idiot was? Naruto was childish, irresponsible and very naive. How the hell could they let him leave Konoha alone?

Sakura buried her face in her hands. Konoha was not the same without Naruto.

"Depression does not suit you well," a voice said. Sakura looked up and saw a red-haired ninja with glasses.

"Karin ..."

Karin sat next to Sakura and stretched her legs. Despite not being a Konoha ninja she stayed after the war ended, doing chores with the interrogation squad.

"No news about Naruto, huh?"

"Tsunade-sama received a letter yesterday. He said he's fine... "

"But didn't say where he was."

Sakura nodded. "That big jerk... Why doesn't he come back already?"

Karin shrugged. Sakura stared at the gate, one of the few things that survived the war against the Akatsuki.

"It was here in this bench..." Sakura muttered. Karin sat up.

"Huh?"

"I declared myself to Sasuke-kun here on this bench, when we were thirteen. I must have been the last person to see him before he walked away from Konoha to join Orochimaru ... I felt so alone that day, I would have done anything for Sasuke-kun not to leave me. But he left anyway... because I meant nothing to him. And now I lost Naruto too..."

Karin looked at her for several minutes.

"Will you let him leave you behind?" the redhead asked.

"Of course not! Not this time! "

Karin smiled at her and stood up, throwing her a bouquet of flowers to her lap.

"Do what you have to do" she said before moving away.

More determined, Sakura grabbed the flowers and went to the ruins of the Uchiha clan. All buildings, including Sasuke's former home had been sealed with jutsus and barriers to prevent people from entering. The name of the Uchiha had become synonymous with power-hungry monsters due to Sasuke and Madara's atrocities.

Itachi's name, however, was written into the memorial stone. Uchiha Itachi was buried as a hero of the village while Sasuke was scorned as a traitor and a murderer. So Tsunade handed the Uchiha's sword, the last thing left from him, to Kakashi and Sakura who stabbed it in a rock near the Uchiha clan's ruins to serve as a grave.

When she reached the rock, Sakura knelt and carefully placed the bouquet on the front of the slightly rusty sword. In the rock were carved the words:

**Tomodachi ni aisa rete**

_Beloved Friend..._

A grave that Sakura and Kakashi made not in memory of the Sasuke who had died, but for the Sasuke who lived in their memories as member of Team 7, as a student and as a friend.

"It's been awhile since the last time you came here, Sakura..." said a voice that Sakura recognized immediately.

Kakashi approached his student and also looked at the sword.

"I know that Naruto wrote" Kakashi said softly. "I imagine that Tsunade-sama has not said anything about where he is."

Sakura stood up and cleaned the dirt from her knees.

"No, she didn't say anything... as always."

Kakashi watched her for a moment before speaking. "Sakura... you know what the Hokage would do if she discovered what you are planning?"

Sakura turned to her sensei with eyes wide open.

"How...?"

At that moment, Sai jumped out from behind a tree.

"Sai! You bastard! You promised not to tell anyone! "

"Sorry, Sakura... but I had to tell."

Sakura was about to punch him but Kakashi stopped her.

"Calm down Sakura"

"I don't care if you have told everyone" the kunoichi growled. "I'm going to search for Naruto and drag his sorry ass back to Konoha, even if I must do it alone!"

"There is no need for it" Kakashi said calmly. "Nobody will stop you from searching for Naruto."

Sakura looked at her sensei gasped.

"You will not stop me...? Why?"

"Kakashi-senpai wants to join you," Yamato said, jumping from behind another tree. "And so do I!"

"Yamato-taichou!" Sakura exclaimed.

"We all think that Naruto would not leave the village except for a very compelling reason" Kakashi explained. "Maybe Tsunade-sama knows more than she told us, or maybe Naruto didn't tell her the whole truth. I think it is better we join you and prevent you from doing any nonsense."

"Kakashi-sensei... That means that you'll help us?"

"I think its better."

A figure green jumped from trees making Sakura scream with fear.

"You can count on me too!" Guy exclaimed doing his famous pose. "The fire of youth will allow us to find Naruto-kun!"

"Guy-sensei too..." Sakura mumbled a little embarrassed. "Who else knows?"

Kakashi whispered in the ear of his student.

"Guy is noisy but he is effective, Lee will work much better with him," the sensei said. "Kurenai also knows but won't be able to participate because of her baby."

Sakura nodded resigned.

"Well… the more the merrier."

* * *

Near midnight, Team Kakashi, Team Asuma, Team Kurenai, and Team Guy met in a culvert that Shikamaru discovered beneath the Forest of Death. All ninjas were kneeling around a world map marked with several pins. The walls were full of documents, notes, maps and scrolls. All the information that they had managed to gather about the disappearance of Uzumaki Naruto , without the Hokage finding out.

They would continue their missions as usual, but take advantage of every opportunity that came when they left the village to look for clues on Naruto's whereabouts.

When they found him, they shall go fetch him.

Shikamaru rested his elbows on the table and turned to the other shinobi.

"Tonight we start Operation Fox Hunt!"

* * *

**So there you have it! Konoha 11 is on the move! As promised I tried to keep the characters as in character as possible, and I think that the idea of Naruto leaving the village to travel is a little hard to believe. That's why his friends became suspicious.**

**Taichou means captain.**

**By the way, would you mind telling me what chapter you liked the most so far? I want know it so I can improve my writting style.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	13. Not Alone

**Hey there! Here's the new chapter. **

**It's Nature Vs Nurture, huh? That's an interesting question... What makes us ourselves? Our DNA? Our upbringing? Or maybe both? Would you still be "you" if you had been raised by another parents? What would change and what would remain?**

**Well... I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**

* * *

**

**Not Alone**

ひとりじゃない (_Hitori Janai_)

The Nikkō village was not renowned.

Although the beaches of the of Land of Sun were known throughout the world as paradisiacal and perfect for the holidays, the village went unnoticed when compared to larger cities with long cared beaches, luxurious hotels and restaurants and tourists with money to spare.

Nikko was small and had only one hotel, five restaurants and three cafes. Most of the inhabitants were fishermen or farmers but there were also several seaside shops selling towels, parasols and cheap souvenirs to the few tourists who chose to spend their holiday in a land far quieter.

Harada Aiko lived, like her entire family, in the village all her life along with her daughter. Together they rented rooms to tourists, however, Aiko knew her daughter, Kyoko, wanted the splendor and excitement of the big cities and hated that annoying little land where the most exciting thing that happened during the week was the old baker being caught cheating his wife with a girl half his age.

Kyoko wanted to leave the village and meet interesting people, especially interesting and mysterious boys. The only tourists who showed up asking to rent a house were old! She was 17 years old and had recently broken-up with a classmate who thought that sailing was more exciting than being with her. While her mother prepared a flower display and the remaining employees were cleaning the office, Kyoko decided that she was tired of silly little boys. She would start dating men!

The office door opened and a figure entered. After looking from one side to another, watching the pictures of apartments and villas for rent, the figure went to the counter where Kyoko was distracted doing crossword puzzles.

"Ah ... Sorry ... I was wondering if I can rent an apartment?" the person asked, compelling Kyoko raise her eyes from the crosswords.

"Take your pick, we have everything ..." Kyoko was speechless when he noticed who was speaking to. "...vacant."

In front of her stood a young man not much older than her... and he was gorgeous. His blond hair was slightly long, with extraordinary blue eyes, a beautiful masculine face with three strange marks on his cheeks that reminded her of whiskers. His skin was lightly tanned and he had a tall, slender and slightly muscular body.

Kyoko was practically drooling.

"Ah ... miss?" the young man asked, with his deep sexy voice.

Kyoko blinked and blushed slightly.

"Sorry ... I didn't hear the question."

"I asked if I could rent an apartment."

"We have many apartments available" Kyoko said. "Just see the photos and decide."

The young man nodded and turned to a placard with houses pictures. Kyoko took the opportunity to unfasten two buttons of her shirt and combed her hair. Behind her, the other employees looked excitedly at the good-looking stranger, barely containing their anger that Kyoko was the one talking to him.

"So..." Kyoko whispered, deliberately dragging their breasts against the table. "You must be new around here... I don't remember seeing you in the village."

"Oh ... It's true! I just arrived ... it was a long trip and I need a place to sleep. "

"Really? Well... if you want to learn more about the town don't be afraid to look for me. I know every corner. My name is Kyoko, what's your name? "

"Naruto. Nice to meet you, Kyoko "Naruto greeted, with a friendly smile and completely oblivious to the girl's advances.

"Naruto-san... if you want me to show you some places I could ..."

"Kyoko!" Aiko muttered approaching her flirting daughter. "Why don't you get the stock? I can handle it here. "

"But Kaa-san ...!"

Aiko glanced so serious that Kyoko turned away and went to the store, ignoring the giggles of her colleagues.

"My name is Harada Aiko and am the owner of this establishment," she introduced herself. "You said you wanted to rent an apartment?"

"Yes, I did."

"For how long? Two weeks? A month? "

"Actually, I was thinking more between six months to a year if possible."

Aiko stared at the young man, surprised.

"You're not on vacation?"

"No. I have traveled a lot and liked to settle down for some time... "

Hidden from the eyes of their mistress, the girls sighed with satisfaction. It was not every day that the village received such a handsome man.

"So..." Aiko continued. "I wonder if you want ..."

"Birdie!" a voice shrieked behind them. A boy about 2 years old enthusiastically pointed to the painting of a yellow parakeet on the office wall. "Birdie!"

Naruto smiled at him. "Yeah ... It's a bird. "

The boy was glad to get Naruto's attention and again pointed to the painting.

"Yellow Birdie!" the child cried.

"That's right, it's a yellow bird" Naruto congratulated. "Come here to greet the nice lady."

The boy looked at Naruto and Aiko with some nervousness. Timidly, he approached Naruto and hid behind his legs. Naruto laughed and stroked his hair.

Aiko knelt to be at the child's level.

"And who is this?" she asked sweetly the boy who hid his face against Naruto's legs. "What's your name, sweetie?"

Naruto gave him a pat on the back for encouragement. "Come on! Tell the lady your name. "

The boy looked at Naruto and then at the lady, but didn't leave behind the legs and clung to the orange pants of the elder boy.

"Sasuke..." the child said shyly.

"Sasuke, huh? And how old are you, Sasuke-chan? "

Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, who smiled and encouraged him to respond. Sasuke looked at his hand, and raised two fingers for Aiko to see.

"Two years! You're already a very big boy! "

Sasuke moved from Naruto legs, but still clinging to his pants. The older boy smiled a little self-conscious and placed a hand on the child's head.

"He's a shy one, huh?" Aiko said, getting up.

"Well... we have been camping in the forests for a long time. He is not used to to seeing new people and is very apprehensive "explained Naruto.

"I understand" Aiko nodded. "I'm sure he will make many new friends here. We have a playground near the beach and a nursery. "

"That's good. When I start work, I didn't know who could look after him ... "Naruto said.

Aiko blinked a little confused.

"It's just you two?" she asked.

"Well ... yes ..."

Sasuke started to pull Naruto's pants.

"Papa! Papa! "the child called.

Aiko was surprised but didn't comment. She didn't expect someone as young as Naruto would already have a son.

"What is it?"

"Me hungry"

"You're hungry? We'll have lunch soon, okay?"

"Hungry. Me hungry! "

Aiko smiled at the boy's insistence. Behind her, the girls were disappointed, an attractive guy with a young son was not what they were expecting, but they had to admit that the kid was really cute, though he didn't resemble his father.

Sasuke had black hair with a blue tint, hovering on both sides of his face and over his onyx eyes. His skin was lighter than Naruto's. He wore a white t-shirt, blue shorts and sandals.

Naruto pulled out Gama-chan of his pocket and gave it to his son for him to be distracted. Sasuke grabbed the frog-shaped wallet and sat on the floor playing. Meanwhile, Naruto spoke with Aiko on the apartment he wanted to rent. A few minutes later, Aiko gave him the address of the apartment, the keys and Naruto signed the contract. With his backpack on his back he turned to Sasuke.

"Sasuke, come on! Let's go! "he said to his son, who got up and ran to Naruto.

"Papa piggyback!" the boy exclaimed, raising his arms.

"We're tired of walking, huh? I think it can't be helped... "Naruto said, lifting Sasuke up and sitting him on his shoulders with a leg on each side. The boy laughed and clung to his father's blond hair. Naruto put Gama-chan in his pocket.

"Sasuke... say goodbye to the ladies!"

Sasuke stared at lady Aiko and the group of girls laughing behind their desks and hided his face behind his father's hair.

"Come on Sasuke. Be nice... say goodbye to the ladies, or they will be sad..."

Entering the game, Aiko pretended to cry. Sasuke turned to look at the ladies, with red cheeks, and waved them goodbye.

"Bye-Bye" the child waved goodbye.

All the women waved and smiled.

* * *

Naruto walked through the small and ancient streets of the village with Sasuke piggybacking. The little boy stared in wonder at the shops, people and houses. Beyond Mount Myōboku and some pensions by small forest, Sasuke had never seen anything that resembled human civilization.

Naruto knew it was his fault. He was too much worried about the possibility of someone recognizing him and Sasuke, so he decided to spend most their time in forests and camps. When the weather became too cold or rainy, they returned to Mount Myōboku.

A few weeks ago, Naruto decided they could no longer hide in the woods like animals. He longed to be with other people, to be able to eat in a clean kitchen, bathing in a bathtub and sleep in a real bed!

Also, it wasn't healthy for Sasuke not know anything about the world beyond the trees. The child had to live with other people and play with other children.

Sasuke had grown up. When he was a baby, Naruto could only see similarities with the Sasuke Uchiha that he had known. Now, two years and eight months old, was able to see glimpses of the adult that Sasuke would become in the future.

His raven hair had grown exactly the same way as in the past, and Naruto decided to keep the same hairstyle he had in his previous life. He had to admit that was what looked better. His voice was still high like a child's, but Naruto was already aware that it was becoming lower. In a few years, Sasuke would have his deep voice back.

It was still too early to know if his personality had changed or remained the same. But at least some tastes have not changed; Sasuke still liked Onigiri with tomatoes. However, much to Naruto's surprise, certain tastes had changed completely.

Last week, Naruto found a convenience store along the roadside as they walked. Eager to eat a good meal and sit on a padded bench, Naruto grabbed Sasuke and headed to the store.

The elderly couple that ran the store was nice and immediately liked Sasuke. Naruto bought an onigiri for his son and ate a bowl of Ramen. It wasn't bad, but it didn't compare to the Ichiraku Ramen in Konoha.

After finishing his meal, Naruto decided to eat a double ice cream, like those he used to share with Jiraiya. Sasuke had finished eating his onigiri and had his cheeks filled with rice grains.

Naruto took the ice cream's plastic role and started licking it with great satisfaction. He missed eating sweets!

Beside Naruto, Sasuke stared at him with an expression of curiosity on his face. The boy had never seen an ice cream and was attracted by its bright colors. Also, his papa was eating that dessert and Sasuke wanted to imitate him.

Naruto felt Sasuke was watching and turned.

"What's wrong, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

The boy continued to stare at the ice cream.

"What's that?" Sasuke asked, pointing to the dessert.

"Huh? This? "Naruto looked at the ice cream in his hand."This is an ice cream."

"Ishe cweam ..."

"No, no... it's I-ce. Ice cream. "

"Ice ... Ice Cream"

"Yes! Very well! "

But Sasuke continued to look at ice cream. Naruto wondered if Sasuke would want to try it, but Sasuke didn't like sweets... at least he didn't used to like.

Naruto finally separated the ice cream in two and gave half to Sasuke who grabbed the wood stick with both hands. The boy continued to look at ice cream and touched it, shuddering as he discovered it was very cold.

"Cold..." the boy said very surprised.

"It's very cold. You gotta lick it" Naruto said, illustrating with his half. "Like this!"

Sasuke watched Naruto licking ice cream and then, almost frightened, gave a small lick.

Naruto thought that Sasuke would hate the taste and throw the ice cream to the ground. To his surprise, the boy licked again. Shortly after, he was devouring ice cream with delight, dirtying his entire face.

"Eh... is it good?" Naruto asked, when Sasuke was almost over.

"Good! Good! Ice cream good! "the toddler exclaimed with a big smile."Papa me want more."

Naruto was shocked but laughed, giving the rest of his ice cream to the boy. Apparently, in his new life, Sasuke had come to like sweets… like his new father.

That thought made Naruto feel strangely happy.

After eating the ice cream, Naruto wiped his son's messy mouth and watched Sasuke examine the souvenirs that the store sold, while he was paying the meal.

"Papa!" Sasuke yelled, looking at different posters.

Naruto looked at the boy but did not move, so Sasuke ran to his father and grabbed his hand, pulling him.

"What is it, son?"

"Papa, look!" Sasuke said, pulling Naruto to a poster of a beach with a blue sea. Sasuke pointed to the waters, the same color as his father's eyes. "What's that?"

"This?" Naruto pointed to the poster. "This is the sea."

"Sea..." Sasuke repeated without taking his eyes off the colorful poster. "Sea ... blue! Blue!"

"The sea is blue. Very well, you're very smart! "

Attracted by Sasuke's excited screams, the shop owner approached them.

"Our land has beautiful beaches," the old lady explained with a smile. "Why don't you take your little boy to the beach one day?"

Out that simple suggestion, Naruto decided to live for awhile in a small, isolated village where the two could go unnoticed. Now, with Sasuke pointing to everything he saw trying to learn their names, Naruto realized he had made the right choice.

Parenting was a constant worry. He wondered constantly if he was making the right choices, when he should scold or give in to Sasuke, what he should teach him...

On the street, the blonde became aware of the gazes the girls and women gave him. For a moment he was concerned, he didn't look at himself in the mirror for months!

_"I mi__ght look weird... "_Naruto thought, a little depressed. Not realizing that the women's gazes were filled with lust.

When they reached the apartment block, Naruto stopped and pointed to the first floor balcony.

"This is our new home, Sasuke!" said to his son cheerfully.

"New home?" Sasuke repeated.

Naruto went up the stairs, came to the door and opened it. The apartment was exactly what he wanted, a space not too small, completely furnished with kitchen utensils included, two bathrooms, a living room, a kitchen and two bedrooms: one for an adult and another for a child.

Naruto landed Sasuke on the ground and held his a hand, carrying him from room to room. Finally, they reached the room that would be Sasuke's.

It was a white painted room with a small low bed. He had a closet filled with boxes for his toys and a dresser.

"You like your new room, Sasuke?" the blonde asked, while his son inspected the empty drawers. "You see these boxes? You'll keep your toys here. "

Sasuke turned to Naruto.

"Toy! Mine toy..."

Naruto nodded and bit his thumb until it dropped blood. Finally, he summoned a small frog in the middle of the room.

"I'm counting on you" he said to the frog, which opened its mouth and vomited several suitcases and bags to the ground before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto grabbed a small bag and turned the contents on the floor. Sasuke shouted out of joy when he saw all his toys and started playing immediately while Naruto unpacked.

Sasuke followed his father from room to room, dragging his toys with him. While Naruto unpacked his clothes in the bedroom closet, Sasuke felt a slight pressure and realized he had to pee. But he wanted to play with his toys... I didn't play with them for a long time, so he tried to ignore the urge.

Papa had already told him that he wanted Sasuke to tell him whenever he wanted to pee or poop, but Sasuke thought it was much easier to just do it the diaper. So when the urge became unbearable, he merely peed and kept playing. But he had drunk too much water... and saw too late that the urine had leaked from the diaper and shorts to the floor.

The child felt himself blush with shame. He knew he should have warned his father because that was what big boys did and he had peed down his legs like a little baby.

He didn't want Papa to be mad at him ... he didn't want to be a baby.

Naruto finished unpacking his things and decided to place the books on the shelves of the living room. However, when leaving the bedroom, he realized that Sasuke had fled in the opposite direction, closing his new room's door.

"Sasuke?" he asked, as he opened the bedroom door, but didn't see his son anywhere. Sasuke had hidden, obviously, under the bed.

The toddler tried to hide from his father the best he could without making any noise, but could not avoid the stream of tears from running down his face and began to whimper.

Naruto sat on the floor beside the bed and looked underneath it. Sasuke groaned and covered his wet pants the best he could.

"What is it, Sasuke?" Naruto asked softly. "Why did you hide?"

Sasuke did not answer and Naruto realized that his son was crying.

"Come on, Sasuke ... what happened?" seeing that Sasuke looked away, Naruto became suspicious. "It's okay. Come to my side... "

Naruto handed him a hand. Sasuke looked at the hand for a moment before gaining the courage to speak.

"Me wet..." Sasuke admitted, clutching his father's hand.

"Ah..." Naruto pulled Sasuke out of bed and noticed the wet pants. The boy lowered his eyes overflowing with tears, weeping with shame and sorrow for having disappointed his father.

Naruto grabbed Sasuke under his arms, grabbed some clean shorts and took him to the bathroom. Sasuke felt his father's silence as a sign that he was angry with him. His lower lip trembled and several tears streamed down his blushed cheeks. To his horror, he felt pressure in his bladder again and was unable to prevent the pee from coming out... at the very moment that Naruto was taking off his pants and diaper and leaned him against his chest.

"FUCK!" the blond yelled as he realized that his shirt was all wet with urine. Sasuke began to cry and buried his face in his hands.

Naruto repented immediately he had yelled when heard Sasuke's distressed cry.

"No, I'm sorry, Sasuke... don't cry!" he apologized, landing Sasuke gently in the tub. "It's okay..."

But Sasuke continued to cry sitting in the tub, forming a small ball of sadness, fear and shame.

Naruto also felt horribly. Why did he have to scream? Why was he always making mistakes with his son?

Taking a deep breath and trying to calm down, Naruto knelt beside the tub, and patted the boy's raven hair.

"It's okay Sasuke... Don't cry... I'm sorry I screamed at you."

Sasuke groaned a little when Naruto touched him, but didn't get away. Gradually his sobs became fainter and he looked fearfully to his parent.

"No like... No like more..." the child sobbed.

"Like what, son?"

"Papa ... Papa no like Sasuke more."

Naruto felt his heart tightened. "No... Sasuke that's not true... Papa loves you. Papa will always love you! "

"Me wet..." the child moaned. "Dirty... Me bad..."

"No, you're not bad Sasuke."

"Wet..."

"It's okay, Sasuke. Papa is not angry with you... It was just an accident..."

"Me wet... dirty..."

Sasuke continued to moan and sob. Naruto turned on the warm water and when it began filling the tub he poured a little soap. Seeing that Sasuke was still unhappy, and after some thought, Naruto stood up and began to undress.

Sasuke stared at Naruto while he undressed and was surprised when his father got in the tub with him. Naruto smiled at him, hoping to ease Sasuke. The blond took the shampoo and poured it in the child's raven hair and began to rub it.

"We're both dirty, eh Sasuke? So let's take a bath together. You see? Papa is washing your hair! Want to try washing your hair alone like a big boy? "

Sasuke looked at his Papa's eyes, not knowing if he was angry. But as Naruto was smiling, Sasuke felt a little better.

"Like this, Sasuke" Naruto took his son's little hands and placed them on his head. "Scrub… Scrub... Scrub..."

"Scrub... Scrub..." Sasuke repeated, moving his hands as his father's moved.

Naruto gave him a huge grin, encouraging him to continue. Sasuke also laughed a little.

"That's right, Sasuke!" Naruto encouraged, also putting a little shampoo in his blond hair and rubbing it. "You are going very well!"

Sasuke felt the weight on his chest relieve. His Papa was proud of him!

Naruto grabbed the shower and washed the soap from Sasuke's hair. The boy wiped his face and approached his father, trying to grab his blond hair still filled with soap. Realizing what Sasuke wanted, Naruto lowered his head and let his child wash his hair, glad that he was excited.

Sasuke sat on his father's lap and they ended up washing. Naruto came out of the tub first, wrapped in a towel and dried quickly. After putting on his pants, he grabbed another towel; took Sasuke from the bathtub and dried him. Before he put a clean diaper, Naruto grabbed his son and sat him on the toilet, holding him not to fall.

Sasuke stared at his Papa without understanding what was happening.

"Listen to me, Sasuke... I'm not angry at you for having peed your pants. Don't be scared to filth your pants, okay? Next time, tell Papa that you have to go pee. I will teach you to go to the bathroom like the grown-ups! "

The toddler merely stared at his father, trying to understand what he was told. Naruto pointed to the toilet.

"When you want to pee or poop, you tell me so I can teach you go to the toilet, okay?"

"Toilet?"

"Yeah! But if you cannot hold it and you mess your diaper, don't be scared. You'll get it someday. "

Sasuke didn't understand everything his papa said, but he knew he had to tell him if his diaper was dirty so papa would teach him to go to the toilet, like a big boy.

Naruto took his son from the toilet and gave him a big hug, feeling Sasuke's small arms involving his neck.

"Papa loves Sasuke very much" Naruto said with a grin.

In response, Sasuke also smiled and buried his face in his father's neck. Those words he understood very well... so the child clung to Naruto, enjoying his father's warmth.

* * *

It was already night when Naruto came from shopping and cleaned everything. Sasuke was exhausted, so they ate a light dinner and prepared to go to sleep.

As always, Sasuke watched his father while he washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. When Naruto went to the bathroom, Sasuke also followed, pulling a small chair to stand at the sink, and imitated his father as he washed his teeth and face.

Naruto picked his son up and took him to the bedroom where he put on his pajamas. Sasuke ran to the closet and pulled out a picture book and took it back to Naruto.

"Papa tell story "Sasuke asked, handing the book.

Naruto grabbed the book and put Sasuke in bed. The boy leaned against his father to see the images from the book while Naruto told him the bedtime story, occasionally pointing to a picture and telling him its name.

Before Naruto finished the story, Sasuke had already fallen asleep. Naruto stood up slowly, tucked the sheets and left the room quietly.

Already in his own room and looking at his reflection in the mirror, Naruto almost choked. The resemblance he had with his father was incredible! Never had he realized that his face had become more defined in recent years. He didn't cut his hair out of laziness but he had to admit that it looked sort off good. The shape of his eyes and the little rounder face who he inherited from his mother gave him a more youthful and relaxed expression, but apart from that, Naruto had become just like Namizake Minato.

"Wow!" Naruto exclaimed, feeling a little proud. "I look like Tou-chan! I think I'm also taller ... Sweet! "

With a youthful joy, Naruto threw himself onto the bed. After months sleeping outdoors, he was finally in a soft and fluffy bed.

The young blonde turned off the light of the candle and covered himself with the sheets. He had many things to think about; he needed a job, so he would soon submit to the town hall as ninja. He would have to do small and boring jobs like the D Rank missions, but had no choice. He also had to take Sasuke to the nursery school.

Naruto had made the decision not to tell his son that he was a ninja. He wanted Sasuke to have a normal childhood so, until he was ready to understand, he would raise him like a civilian. After that, they would see...

* * *

_Sasuke had a bad dream. __He dreamed that he was in a very big house with many rooms. In the dream, Sasuke ran around the house and opened all the doors and saw all the rooms, but there was no one else there. When he came to the kitchen, he saw a great meal so he ate the food but had no one to talk to... He also found many toys, but there was nobody to play with him._

_He was alone. He had everything he wanted but he was alone._

_Across the window was a very bright and warm light, so Sasuke went to see it. On the street was an ongoing party where a group of boys and girls laughed, joked and talked. They seemed so happy that Sasuke wanted to join them and get out of that cold and dark house. However, he couldn't open the door to leave. He ran to the window and slammed his fists against the glass desperately trying to break it or for the kids to notice him, but nothing worked._

_The children began to move away. Sasuke started screaming, asking them to return, to take him away from there, to save him from that dark and lonely place. But the children continued to move away and disappeared._

_Underneath a red and white crest, Sasuke cried. He was all alone..._

_

* * *

_

Near 3 am, Sasuke woke up. He had cried during the dream and was scared to be alone. The boy left the room and went to Naruto's bedroom. Upon entering he saw the silhouette of his father in the bed and came over. With a little effort, he climbed onto the bed.

Naruto stirred slightly but didn't wake up. When Sasuke lifted the sheets and lay down beside Naruto, the latter stretched his arms and hugged him. Sasuke felt his troubled heart calm down and lost his fear.

Wishing to feel his father's warmth, Sasuke grabbed his shirt and leaned his head against his chest. The child finally fell asleep in his father's arms, feeling loved and warm.

Sasuke knew he was not alone anymore.

The next morning, the nightmare had been completely forgotten.

* * *

**There you have it. What did you think?**

**I decided to make Naruto attractive mostly because his mother was quite plain as a child but became a beauty as she grew up. I always thought of Naruto as an "ugly duckling" type.**

**Sasuke's nightmare was symbolic, can you guess about what? ^_^ ****I'll reveal it in the Author's notes in the next chaper.**

**Nikkō means "sunshine".  
**

**Thanks for reading!**


	14. Heartbeat

**Hello! Like I promised, here is Sasuke's nightmare symbolism, which represented both his childhood and adulthood:**

**_The Big house with many rooms: _is the Uchiha Mansion, which is empty because of the massacre.**

**_There was food and toys and Sasuke had everything he wanted, but is alone:_ Sasuke became powerful but at the expense of his friendship.**

**_An ongoing party where a group of boys and girls laughed, joked and talked: _Sasuke's classmates and teammates, the Konoha 11.**

**_Sasuke wanted to join them and get out of that cold and dark house: _a part of Sasuke wanted to leave his vengeance behind and have friends.**

**_The door and windows of the house don't open, the kids leave and Sasuke stays alone crying under the red and white crest_: Sasuke's obsession with revenge and power prevented him to move on with his life and he remained in the darkness of his past while his friends became happy. His extreme loyalty to the Uchiha Clan (the crest) caused his isolation.**

**Congratulations to mi5tan, Khandalis, Mistlan and Katzenmond who got closer! And thanks to all reviewers! If I could I would give you all cookies!**

**Here's the chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Heartbeat**

心臓の鼓動 (_Shinzō no kodō_)

After years fleeing and hiding, Suigetsu and Jūgo got the luxury of eating a hot meal in a small town without fear of being recognized. The Ninja world had more things to worry about, and the escape the Taka members had not been a very controversial subject.

Jūgo didn't care to spend the rest of his days in the forest, but Suigetsu was sick of it and forced him to go to a bar. After all... what better place to gather information than from a bunch of drunken ninja?

Suigetsu had already killed several men who had dared to try to assault him and managed to get a new sword. The young man still enjoyed a good fight until death, especially if it involved decapitations, but he couldn't draw attention and thus avoided unnecessary deaths.

He learned this from Sasuke.

Suigetsu was not expecting to feel so betrayed. After all, Sasuke had created the team as a means to achieve their objectives. They were not friends or companions ... However, they had begun to enjoy the company of each other and worry. Even after three years, Suigetsu missed belonging to the team. It had been... fun.

Before they had been dumped like garbage.

While Suigetsu ate his yogurt and thought on the beating that he would give Sasuke, Jūgo kept all his emotions to himself, feeling used and discarded.

Near them, a group of Kumo ninjas was talking excitedly. The two Taka members merely ignored them until they heard the surname of their former leader in the emerging conversation.

"The last war ended with many good ninjas!"

"It's true!"

"And to think that everything began with the Uchiha, huh? Those bastards knew how to mess with the world! "

"Yeah ... but now that all of them have become worm's food, they will never mess with anything else!"

Jūgo opened his eyes and Suigetsu rose, approaching the ninja group.

"Worm's food?" Suigetsu asked. "What are you talking about?"

The group of ninjas stared at him.

"You're kidding us, kiddo? Everyone knows what happened! Let us drink our sake alone and go back to your mommy. "

"Why you son of a ..." Suigetsu prepared to strike with the sword, but Jūgo rested his hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down... The truth is that we've been away for some time," Jūgo told them. "Therefore we don't know everything that happened during the war. Could you tell us? "

One of the Kumo ninja studied him for a moment.

"Bah! Why not? If you pay the next drink, I'll tell you how Nyūji here began to cry like a baby during one attack! "

"Hey," shouted the man called Nyūji, offended.

Suigetsu realized what his companion was doing and asked the maid a new round of sake. The Kumo ninja drank alcohol with pleasure and when they finished they were all in a good-mood, crimson and chatty.

"What is that you boys want to know, huh?" One asked, wiping his chin with the back of his hand.

"The last thing we heard was that Sasuke attacked the Kage Summit and then ran away," Suigetsu said.

"It's true... Shit! That kid was not right in the head! Our Raikage gave him a good beating but he managed to escape. Then he went after that sly old man... how is he called? "

Jūgo intervened "Danzo ..."

"That's it! He went after Danzo and they fought... and then he killed him along with a girl. "

Suigetsu and Jūgo's eyes opened in surprise.

"A girl?" Suigetsu asked. "What girl?"

"I heard that the Uchiha ran after Danzo with a girl who was a sensor or something... She also healed him during the battle, but when Danzo made her hostage to try to save himself the Uchiha pierced them both. That motherfucker was as cold as an ice cube! "

Jūgo tensed like a rock, while Suigetsu threw himself against the chair.

Karin was dead. She had healed Sasuke, she had helped him, she was in love with him... and Sasuke had killed her without hesitation or remorse.

Suigetsu was trembling with fury. They were objects, all of them! Sasuke had used them all, deceiving them and making them think they were a team and that meant something to him.

Lies! All lies!

"What... what happened next?" Jūgo asked.

"Well... after killing that bastard Danzo and his teammate, he returned to Madara Uchiha. The war started and he fought against Naruto Uzumaki and lost. "

"Naruto? The one who defeated Pain? "Suigetsu asked surprised.

"_Sasuke's __former teammate?"_

"The very same! After losing, the Uchiha lost his mind and went on to kill innocent civilians. Uzumaki came to him and killed him, end of story! "

The Taka members rose from the table in silence and left the bar.

"Dead!" Suigetsu shouted, breaking the trunk of a tree into pieces. "That bastard is dead! How does he dare to die? I want be the one to kill him!"

Jūgo sat on a rock and closed his eyes. A small bird landed on his left shoulder.

"Damn son of a bitch!" Suigetsu continued to yell. "He left us! Killed Karin! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck it!"

Jūgo remained impassive while his companion destroyed the tree with a blind fury.

"I wish I had killed him! I would cut him limb from limb, slowly... and then tore that traitor's black heart and crushed it with my own two feet! "Suigetsu growled.

Suddenly Jūgo went up with a leap. The bird had landed on his shoulder fled.

Suigetsu looked at his companion. Would Jūgo have one of his famous furies? Suigetsu didn't need one now ... He was nervous enough!

"Jūgo? Hey! What's happening? "

Jūgo looked down and then stared at Suigetsu. The giant was pale as a sheet.

"The heart... his heart..." Jūgo murmured.

"Huh? What heart? "

"Sasuke's heart... his heart is beating."

Suigetsu opened his eyes wide and his sword fell to the ground.

"What are you talking about?"

"I felt his heart beating ..." Jūgo said. "I gave him my flesh when he was injured fighting the Eight Tails. I cured his chest! So ... I can vaguely feel that his heart still beats. I don't know where; don't know how, but his heart is still beating. "

Suigetsu approached his teammate, trying to understand what he just said.

"What does this mean, Jūgo? What are you talking about? "

Jūgo looked Suigetsu in his eyes.

"Sasuke's heart is still beating, Suigetsu. He is alive. "

* * *

_Four months and two weeks later_

_August 18Th_

Sasuke woke up with a bright light on his face and narrowed his eyes. Soon after, he felt a hand shake him.

"Wake up, sleepyhead! It's morning! "

Sasuke pulled the sheets over his head and grumbled. He was having such a nice dream…

"Come on, Sasuke! You have to wake up! "

But the child remained stubbornly lying beneath the sheets.

"Well... if you want to stay snoozing, I don't think I can take you to the beach today..."

Sasuke opened his eyes and threw the sheets back, wide awake.

"I'm awake!" the child shrieked, jumping out of bed.

Naruto was next to the dresser with a huge victory smile on his face.

"Finally! I thought you were gonna stay asleep forever "Naruto told him."Good morning!"

Sasuke ran into his father's arms and gave him a hug.

"Ohayō, papa!"

Naruto opened dresser drawers and pulled out the clothes he would dress his son. Sasuke sat on the bed and began to take off his pajamas by himself. When Naruto checked the pull-ups, he saw that Sasuke had managed to stay dry all night.

"_That's my boy"_ Naruto thought.

"Papa! Go to beach? "the child asked as Naruto helped him get dressed.

"We're going after breakfast."

"You not work?"

Naruto smiled at him and tousled his raven hair.

"Not today."

Sasuke also smiled and followed his father into the kitchen. When Papa had to work, Sasuke had to go to the nursery school and only returned home in the afternoon.

The nursery had many boys and girls like him and some were older. The sensei was a lady named Izumi who liked to tell stories and taught them songs and games. Sasuke was afraid of her the first day and cried when Papa had to go to work, but now he liked her. After all, he had only met her when he was two years old, he was three now!

Sasuke was surprised to see other children like him and felt a little nervous when Izumi-sensei told him to go play with them. He found out that boys were like him and played with toy cars and build towers with cubes, wore pants and had short hair. Girls were different because they wore dresses, liked flowers and dolls which looked like babies.

When they all went to the nursery pool and Izumi-sensei stripped them all to wear the swimsuits, Sasuke found that the other boys had a pee-pee like him but the girls had nothing.

One day, Sasuke had seen one of the grown-up boys (he was already 4 ½ years old!) peeing standing up. Sasuke was confused because he and the boys in his class pee sitting on the potty. When he asked the older boy why he was standing, he had told him that only girls pee sitting down. Boys pee standing up because they had a pee-pee!

When Papa picked him up, Sasuke liked to tell him everything he had done and then played with his father the games they had learned.

But today he was not going to the nursery school and the two would play on the beach, like Papa had promised!

After they had eaten breakfast, Sasuke felt the urge to pee. But his dad was in the bathroom.

"Papa?" Sasuke called, grabbing the doorknob and going slowly.

The child was pinned by the door. Papa was also peeing standing up!

Naruto realized that Sasuke had entered and immediately shut the zipper of his pants.

"Sasuke!" Naruto scolded. "You have to knock on the door when someone is in the bathroom. It's rude. "

But Sasuke continued to look at Naruto, with a strange expression. Naruto went over to his son.

"What is it Sasuke?"

"Papa, you got a pee-pee?" the child naively asked.

Naruto blushed from head to toe.

"Ah! I... Yes, I do... why? "

"I got a pee-pee too!"

"Ah... Ok..."

"Boys got pee-pees and girls not. Right? "

"_God help me!__ I don't wanna have this conversation Sasuke!"_

"Yeah."

"Boys pee standing up?"

Naruto finally understood.

"Ah! That's what you wanted to know? Well ... yes. Boys pee standing up. "

Sasuke crossed his legs uncomfortably as his little bladder was even fuller. Naruto realized his son's body language.

"Want to go to the bathroom, Sasuke?"

Sasuke nodded but when he came to the toilet he stopped again. The child blushed slightly embarrassed and glanced at Naruto.

"What's wrong, son? Want me to help you sit on the toilet? "

Sasuke shook his head vigorously.

"No! I wanna pee alone! "

Naruto laughed, but nodded. The traits of the old Sasuke still remained, that kid wanted to do things for himself.

"Ok, then!"

Sasuke looked at the toilet and but still didn't move. Instead, he turned again to Naruto, with a lot less petulance.

"Ano... Papa?"

"Yes?"

"I no wanna pee sitting down more..." the child said.

"You don't?"

"I wanna pee standing up like a big boy! Like Papa! "Sasuke exclaimed. Naruto tried not to burst out laughing.

"Okay," agreed Naruto, repressing his laughter. He didn't want to embarass his son.

Sasuke took off his pants and pull-ups and looked at the toilet as if it were an opponent to defeat. Naruto leaned against the doorway with an amused smile his lips.

_"__You can do it, teme!"_ he thought. _"Damn… Some things never change! Who knew you were so proud even as a toddler?"_

The child gulped. Sasuke didn't know what to do next... but he wanted to impress his father! He couldn't give up.

"Ah!" Naruto yelled causing Sasuke to look at him. "Now I'm the one who wants pee again ..."

Naruto went over to his son and moved him slightly.

"Sorry Sasuke! But your Tou-chan also needs to pee" Naruto exclaimed as he relieved himself.

Sasuke looked at his Papa and looked at his own body, amazed at the differences and similarities. Papa was a grown-up! He was tall and had muscles.

The three-year-old looked at his little hands. They looked so small when compared to his father's…

When Naruto finished, he noticed that Sasuke was still watching him. The blonde felt a little uncomfortable but tried to appear relaxed.

"Oh... sorry Sasuke... you can try."

Sasuke tried again and, recalling how his father had done it, he succeeded. The boy felt himself swell with pride! He had been able to pee standing up, like a man.

"I knew you could do it!" Naruto exclaimed, taking the child to the lavatory where they both washed their hands.

"Papa? I'm a big boy now? "

"Yes. Very big! I'm so proud of you."

Naruto noticed Sasuke blushing with pride and washing his hands enthusiastically. The Uchiha learned quickly and, most likely, Sasuke inherited those traits from his biological parents.

When he grows up, he would be just like them: a genius, which wasn't something Sasuke could inherit from Naruto.

Naruto honestly didn't believe that Sasuke would inherit any of his traits. He couldn't compete with the extraordinary qualities of the Uchiha clan, which made him feel a little saddened.

The child had just washed his hands and clung to Naruto's shirt.

"Papa?"

"Hmm?"

"When I'm big, I wanna be like you."

Naruto froze. Had he heard him right?

"Huh? You want to be like me?"

Sasuke nodded with a huge smile that made Naruto open his eyes in amazement. Sasuke's smile was just like his!

"Why, Sasuke?"

"'Cause you're my Papa and I'm your son. I wanna be just like you!"

Naruto opened his eyes wide.

"You're the coolest, Papa!"

Naruto's expression of amazement gradually changed to a smile. With one hand, Naruto grabbed Sasuke and pick him up, making the child laugh with delight.

The blond remembered all those lonely days in his childhood, when he had no one to impress and no one who would want to congratulate him on anything. He had no friends, no family... He wished that Sasuke could be his friend because he was an orphan like him, therefore, they could be able to understand each other. But they didn't...

Sasuke was so perfect at everything and so popular... Naruto wanted to surpass him! Sasuke was his inspiration, his reason to get stronger... He just wanted Sasuke to acknowledge him.

Team 7 was his first family. He loved them all so much... that's why he just couldn't allow Sasuke to break his bond with him. It phisically hurt to see Sasuke reject his friendship with such comtempt. Saying that it was a hindrance... considering their bond a weakness that needed to be severed. Thinking that Naruto was nothing more than loser than didn't deserve his attention...

Like that fatidic day on the roof...

* * *

_"Ha!" laughed 13 year old Naruto. _

_"What's so funny?" __Sasuke __asked ._

_"I'm not laughing because it's funny. I'm just psyched because today is the day when I finally beat you." Naruto declared, excited for his opportunity. Sasuke was really fighting him!_

_"What did you say? Don't talk nonsense, you inept loser!" Sasuke replied, his scorn reflected in his black eyes._

_

* * *

_

Sasuke went down his father's lap, and went to pick up his new beach toys. But when he came back to the living room, he noticed that his father looked wierd. He was so still... like a statue.

* * *

_"You! An idiot like you has no business acting all high and mighty!" Sasuke yelled._

_"Ha! What happened to the calm, controlled, Sasuke? Am I making you nervous? It looks you picked a fight with me and now you're too scared to go through with it. Is that it?"_

_ "Let's just do this."_

_"Before we fight, put on your forehead protector. I'll wait." declared Naruto._

_"I won't need it."_

_"I don't care. Just put it on!"_

_"You won't even be able to scratch my forehead!" Sasuke stated.  
_

_"Come on. You know putting on your headband is a testament to fighting on equal terms as a Leaf Shinobi."_

_"There you go, acting all high and mighty again. You don't honestly believe that we're equals?"_

_"Heck yeah I do! All this time I never once thought that I was inferior to you in any way!"_

_"You're a complete embarrassment!"_

* * *

Sasuke approached his father slowly, but the latter did not even budge. Naruto stared at the window looking away, his fingers moving as if with spasms.

"Papa?"

* * *

_On the Valley of the End..._

___Naruto jumped across the gorge and landed on Sasuke._

___"Not so fast! You're going to tell me your comrades risked their lives for nothing?" Naruto screamed. What the hell had happened to Sasuke? Why was he like this?_

___"My days of playing ninja with you kids of the Leaf Village are done." Sasuke said._

___Naruto couln't believe this... _

___"Chouji... Neji... Kiba and Akamaru... Shikamaru... Fuzzy-brows... They all risked their lives to come after you!"_

___"Well, good for them."_

_Sasuke's eyes were dark and cold. Like he was dead inside. He felt nothing!_

* * *

The raven haired boy got closer to Naruto and gently clung to his shirt. However, his father didn't even blink.

"Papa, what's wrong?" Sasuke asked, starting to feel a little scared.

Naruto didn't react, his mind was very far away.

* * *

_"Shut up! What do you know about me, with no parents or siblings? You were alone from the start! What the hell do you know! We suffer from our bonds... You don't know how it feels to lose them!"_

* * *

"Papa... why are you so still?" Sasuke asked. The child blinked when he realised that Naruto was crying. "Papa, why are you crying? What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

* * *

_"I have different bonds. Bonds of hatred with my older brother. Numerous bonds mislead oneself and weaken the most important desires and cherished memories."_

* * *

"Wake up! Papa, wake up! Don't cry!" Sasuke screamed, very worried. He had never seen his father cry before... he couldn't understand what happened. "Please..."

* * *

_"You're still a kid, Naruto. Revenge is everything to me. If I can carry out my revenge, it's no concern of mine what happens to me, or to this world."_

_Sasuke, I..._

_"_COME BACK!"

Naruto came back to his senses when Sasuke hugged his legs with all his strenght. The little boy was crying and shivering, not wanting to let go of Naruto.

The blond looked at him a bit absent minded before his mind cleared up.

"Sa... Sasuke...?" Naruto finally asked. "What...?"

Sasuke hugged his father tighter. "Don't be sad, Papa. Please don't cry..."

Naruto realized his tears and and returned to the present. Sasuke was just in front of him... not on the hospital roof, not on the Valley of the End. He was right there.

And he was crying, for him.

"Why are you so sad?" Sasuke asked with tears running down his cheeks. "Are you hurt? Are you sick?"

"Ah... No, Sasuke... don't worry. I'm okay now!" Naruto answered, cleaning his tears.

"You're crying! You never cry!"

"I'm sorry..." Naruto said, trying to calm the child down. "I was just... thinking about someone..."

Sasuke looked at Naruto in the eyes. The boy was scared... Did a mean person hurt his father?

"Someone hurt you?"

Naruto smiled gently and cleaned Sasuke's tears.

"Don't worry. It was a long time ago... I promise I won't cry anymore."

Sasuke lowered his head but still clung to Naruto. His tiny fists grabbed his shirt with all the strenght a child could have.

"You can cry..." Sasuke said softly.

"Huh?"

"It's ok... You can cry, Papa. But I'll hug you 'til you're all better, ok?" the child said, making Naruto blink in surprise. "I won't let that person hurt you again."

The blond started crying again and pick up Sasuke, hugging him tight. They were a family and Sasuke... no, his son was here.

"Thank you... Sasuke."

* * *

When Naruto went to get their lunch, Sasuke peered into the bag and looked disappointed.

"What is it Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"My lunch is just the onigiri?" the child asked, pouting.

"Yes ... isn't it your favorite food?"

"Yeah! But... I wanted to eat something else too..."

"What?"

Sasuke pointed to the shelf.

"Can I eat Ramen?"

Naruto was silent for a few seconds before he burst out laughing.

"Good Lord, Sasuke! You really are your father's son! "

* * *

**I wrote this chapter when I found out that when kids are 3 years old, they start to become gender aware, and I thought _"Sure! Why not? This could be fun."_**

**Sasuke still remains very competitive, he wants to able to do like the other kids or like Naruto, who he also wants to impress. Remember when he tried to impress his birth father Fugaku?**

**I'm sorry if the chapter ended up a little inappropriate... It's normal for a child to be curious about his gender and others. Also, Sasuke is three years old now, that's why his speech improved and he also likes to hear stories which improves his development. Sasuke is a smart kid and has a lot of talent, but he is not a child prodigy. A child prodigy is a kid who can do adult level tasks, like Itachi or Kakashi.**

**See you next time! I hope you like it!**


	15. Whirlpool Paper Fans

**Olá! First of all, I would like to thank all ****of ****you, this fic has reached the 150 reviews! **

**It's always nice to read your reviews and I'm always excited to see old and new reviewers! **

**This chapter was born out of my recent internet research on the Japanese culture, so I'm sorry for the lack of action. **

**Did you know that "Uchiha" is another way to say "Uchiwa" which means _paper fan_? That explains their crest.**

**This chapter has also a lot of OCs, I hope you like them. **

**

* * *

**

**Whirlpool Paper Fans**

うずまきうちわ (_Uzumaki uchiwa_)

Sasuke and the other children in the nursery school had to play inside the classroom because it was raining a lot.

Typically, on mid-morning Izumi-sensei would let them go to the playground where they could play in the garden, the swings, bars and slide. But as it was raining, the sensei told them they had to stay inside. One of his classmates, a boy with dark brown hair named Akira, had tried to escape the sensei and flee to the playground but was caught and was punished to face a wall.

Sasuke had gone to fetch the cube box and had been entertained building a huge castle. Later he would try to find the crocodile-shaped plush to pretend it was a monster invading the castle. Next to him, the other boys also played with cubes and toy cars while the girls were playing houses near the doll's house.

"Sasuke-chan...?" one of the girls asked.

Sasuke looked up from his cubes' castle and stared at the girl. She had bright orange hair and big brown eyes. The boy remembered that she was called Rina.

"Sasuke-chan! We'll play houses" said Rina laughing. "Come play with us!"

Sasuke shook his head.

"I don't wanna."

"Oh, come on!" Rina insisted.

"No!"

Rina was known for her insistence. She was the youngest of three boys and was used to being the princess who could have anything she wanted if she screams enough. Since Sasuke arrived at the nursery school she had decided that he would be her boyfriend.

"I want you to come and play with me!" Rina cried. "Now!"

Sasuke was already getting angry. He didn't like Rina, she was noisy and annoying. He just wanted her to leave him alone!

"But I don't wanna play with you! You're boring!"

Rina started to scream and cried even louder. She used to always get everything when she wept, but Sasuke sat and laid his tongue out.

"What's going on in here?" Izumi-sensei said. Rina pointed a finger at Sasuke.

"Sensei... Sasuke... is a meanie. He won't play with me..." Rina cried.

"She's annoying" the black haired boy protested. "She won't leave me alone, sensei!"

Izumi separated the two children and decided to call the rest of the class to the paintings corner.

"Okay, boys and girls!" Izumi-sensei said with a big smile. "Today we'll paint a very special object."

The children gazed up at the sensei while she took many paper fans from a large bag and distributed the by the class.

"You know what this is?" the sensei said.

"It's a fan!" A boy named Shun replied. "They are to make the fire more bigger."

"Very well, Shun-chan!" Izumi-sensei congratulated. "But don't say "more bigger" it says "bigger "... This is a paper fan. And since it is all blank you will paint it as you like. Then we'll hang it there on the scoreboard for everyone to see them, okay?"

"Hai, Izumi-sensei!" the children replied in unison. And they immediately got crayons and draw in their fans.

Sasuke stared at his blank fan without knowing what colors he should use.

"Are you having problems, Sasuke-chan?" Izumi-sensei asked.

"Sensei... I don't know what colors to choose ..." the boy said.

"You can choose any color," the sensei replied. "Don't worry."

"But..."

"Sensei!" another girl cried. "Ryota stole my pencil!"

"Liar! Hitomi is lying, sensei! The pencil is mine! "

"No, it's mine!"

Izumi walked away from Sasuke to separate the two children who were already pulling each other's hair.

"Kids stop that! Do not fight here! "

Sasuke continued to watch its fan. He wanted the fan to be amazing for people to notice it when they passed by the score.

The paper fan...

"Uchiwa ... Uchiha ..." Sasuke whispered softly. He had the feeling that he had said that word before, but couldn't remember where.

With his right hand, Sasuke took a red pencil from the box and began painting the top of the uchiwa with it. When he finished, he was looking at a half red and half white fan in his hand. He couldn't help thinking that he had already seen that uchiwa somewhere.

When Izumi-sensei told them to hand over the fans and that they could finish the painting in next the morning, Sasuke shrugged and stopped thinking about it.

After having lunch, the sensei picked a fairy tales book and they sat around her to hear the story.

"Does anyone know the Momotarō story?" Izumi-sensei Said.

"Īe, sensei!" the children answered.

"Well, once upon time… a little boy came to Earth inside a giant peach, which was found floating down a river by an old, childless woman who was washing clothes there. The woman and her husband discovered the child when they tried to open the peach to eat it. The child explained that he had been sent by Heaven to be their son. The couple named him Momotarō."

The children listened very interested.

"Years later, Momotarō left his parents for an island called Onigashima to destroy the marauding oni (demons or ogres) that dwelt there. On his way, Momotarō met and befriended a talking dog, monkey, and pheasant, who agreed to help him in his quest. At the island, Momotarō and his animal friends penetrated the demons' fort and beat the demons' leader, Ura, as well as his army, into surrendering. Momotarō returned home with his new friends, and his family lived happily from then on."

After the sensei finished the story, Ryota shouted, very excited.

"Sensei! Sensei! Momotarō's parents gave him that name because he came from a peach?"

"It's true," said Izumi-sensei. "_Momo_" means peach and "_Tarō_" means eldest son. Momotarō means _Peach Boy_. "

"Our mommies and daddies also give us names like that!" one girl said. "They called me Midori because my mama loves the green color!"

"It's a beautiful name, Midori-chan. Your name means "_green_"" the sensei said, making Midori blush with joy.

"Izumi-sensei! What does your name mean? "Akira asked.

"Well... I think it means "fountain and spring." It was the name of my father's mother."

The children continued to ask the sensei what their names meant. Sasuke was also anxious to know and could not wait for his turn.

"Now me! Now me!" yelled Sasuke along with the other kids.

"Ok... Now is Sasuke-chan's turn..." said Izumi-sensei, flipping through a book full of name meanings. "Let me see... Sa... Sa... Sasu... Sasuke, here it is! Your name means "help or assistance."

"Help?" the child asked.

"I think your Tou-chan wanted you to be a person who helps others" the sensei said.

While the other kids learned their names meanings, Sasuke was thinking about his name. Many of his classmates had names of their parents' friends or relatives.

_"Why __did Papa named me Sasuke?"_ he thought with curiosity.

"Izumi-sensei!"

"Yes, Hideki-chan?"

"Our papa and our mama also have names like us?" Hideki asked.

"You really are a baka, Hideki-chan!" a girl named Shizuka muttered. "Of course they have!"

"They have?"

Some children nodded and began to boast that they knew, but Sasuke remained silent. He never thought that his father had a name... he was Papa and nothing else.

"Your parents also have names like you" Izumi-sensei explained patiently. "It was their parents, your grandparents, who gave them the names. By the way ... do you know your last name? "

The kids were a little confused.

"What is a last name, sensei?" Akira asked again.

"A last name is your family name. Your parents give you that name from them because you are their children and belong to the same family. Many last names also have special meanings. "

"Sensei! I know my last name" yelled a kid in the front row.

"You know, Osamu-chan?" the sensei said.

Sasuke crossed his arms and pouted. Osamu knew everything, was the best at drawing and won every game! All his classmates and sensei congratulated him all the time, it wasn't fair!

"My last name is Matsumoto!" Osamu said chest swelled with pride. "And it means "_a pine_ _tree_"!"

"Very well, Osamu-chan!" Izumi-sensei said. "I'm very impressed!"

The other children also congratulated Osamu, saying he was amazing and very smart. Sasuke remained silent and pouted.

* * *

Naruto's last mission had gone well. The heavy rains had brought down a large palm tree near the beach, and it had fallen right on top of a fishing boat. The fisherman and his wife had come to hire him, very anxious to remove the palm tree and when Naruto finished the mission in two minutes, they paid him generously. With the extra money he could buy more things for him and Sasuke.

When passing by the grocery store, he took advantage and bought more expensive steaks and some cakes. They were going to celebrate tonight.

With his umbrella, Naruto went to the nursery school, hoping that Sasuke had spent the day well. Sasuke was really upset to see him cry a few days ago and Naruto had promised himself that this would not happen again.

Parents should soothe their children and not the opposite, although he had felt truly happy that he and Sasuke were so close.

The yellow walls of the nursery appeared behind the corner and Naruto quickened his pace. Several parents had also come for their children and some waved and greeted him. The whole village knew about the blond ninja who had come to spend a season with them.

Naruto went into the nursery school and closed his umbrella. After going through some corridors, he found his son's classroom and knocked on the door.

Izumi-sensei opened the door and smiled at him "Uzumaki-san! Good afternoon! "

"Hello Izumi-sensei. Sorry for the wait..."

"Don't worry. Today the kids were distracted... I'll call Sasuke-chan "Izumi turned to the group of children who were behind her."Sasuke-chan! Your Tou-chan is here! "

Sasuke stood up on a bounce and ran for the door. Seeing his father, the child jumped him into his arms.

"Papa!"

"Hi there! How was your day? "Naruto asked stroking the toddler's back."You didn't trouble Izumi-sensei?"

"He's no trouble at all" Izumi said. "Sasuke-chan is one of our better behaved children."

Sasuke blushed slightly, and continued to grab his father's jersey.

"Although today... He had a quarrel with Rina-chan" Izumi-sensei said with an amused smile.

"Rina-chan?" Naruto asked.

"She's a bore!" Sasuke screamed, grumpy. "She's always clinging to me! It's annoying!"

Naruto smiled as he recalled Sakura's various attempts for Sasuke to notice her. Some things never change.

" Rina-chan is always saying to Hitomi and Midori that you and her are going to get married!" Izumi teased.

"WHAT?" Sasuke shouted furiously. "Never! Never! Never!"

Naruto and Izumi laughed indulgently.

"She won't be the last, Sasuke-chan" Izumi-sensei said. "You're so cute that many girls will want to be your girlfriends!"

Sasuke shook his head vigorously.

"No! Girls got cooties!" the child exclaimed, hiding his face against his father's tummy.

Izumi and Naruto laughed with the child's mortification.

* * *

Naruto grabbed Sasuke and took him home. Sasuke complained how Rina was annoying and told his daddy about the Momotarō's story. He also told his father about the paper fans.

"You know, Papa? You know? We're painting paper fans... Uchiha..."

Naruto flinched slightly. It was the first time Sasuke stated his family name since he had been born for the second time. Naruto wondered what kind of feeling he would have...

"Uchiha, huh?"

"We're painting them, Papa!" Sasuke exclaimed glad the rain had allowed him to go piggybacking on his father's back. "Izumi-sensei will put them on the big scoreboard! The one in the hallway! "

"I know. Have you already finished ours? "

"Not yet... we'll end them tomorrow, but mine..."

Naruto positioned umbrella better.

"Mine only has one color..."

Naruto knew before Sasuke spoke.

"I painted the top red. I don't know what to draw ..."

Naruto nodded. Like Hikari-baa-chan had said, Sasuke would have Déjà Vu and some dreams about his first life. The image of the Uchiha crest had been a key part of his life.

"If you don't know what to draw, you could leave it like that" replied Naruto.

"No..."

Naruto was surprised.

"No?"

"It's very empty... I want... more..."

Naruto smiled. "I see ..."

Father and son walked in silence. Sasuke leaned his face against his father's hair and stared at the gray ocean amidst the old houses.

"Papa...?"

"Hmm?"

"Today we were also talking about names..."

"Names? What names? "

"Our names. What they mean..."

"Ah"

"Sasuke means "_help_", you know?"

"Really? I didn't know that. "

"It means "help" and assista... assistin..."

"Assistance?"

"Yes!"

Naruto remembered Team 7 first missions.

_"_Help_, huh? It fits with you, Sasuke. I always knew I could count on you. "_

"Papa?"

"Yes?"

"Why you called me _Sasuke_?"

Naruto turned his head slightly to stare at the child. "Don't you like your name?"

"I like it... but I wanna know why you chose **that** name."

Naruto was silent for a moment. He had not chosen Sasuke's name, his mother did. Sasuke was the name of the third Hokage's father. But... technically, Naruto could have changed Sasuke's name if he wanted.

"Your name... is a memento."

"Me... Memento? What's that?"

"It's something that reminds us of someone special. Your name is a memento of a friend of mine."

Sasuke blinked and lifted his head slightly.

"A friend?" the child asked.

"Yeah..." Naruto replied with a wistful smile.

"How is your friend like? Is he cool? "

"Very cool!"

"And I'm like him?" the child asked, excited.

"Yes, very alike. In a few years you'll be as cool as he was. "

Sasuke smiled and grabbed his father's neck harder.

"But you know, Papa...?"

"What?"

"I think you're cool too."

Naruto laughed.

"So, as my heir, you'll be cooler than I ever was!"

"Yeah!"

* * *

Back home, Sasuke was playing with his toys in the living room while his dad was making dinner. Outside on the balcony, were several pots that they had bought and planted several plants because Naruto loved to water plants. But Sasuke was responsible for one of them, a small tomato plant that was still too small to give tomatoes, his favorite fruit.

Suddenly, Sasuke remembered Osamu and how he learned his last name and what that meant. He didn't wanna lose against him!

"Sasuke! Come help set the table! "Naruto called from the kitchen.

Sasuke ran to the table and tried to imitate his Papa to put the dishes, platter, bowls and chopsticks.

"You're very quiet" Naruto noticed. "What are you thinking about?"

"Ah... I..." the toddler stammered, with a slight pout. "There's a boy in my class that I don't like at all!"

Naruto stared at his son, confused.

"A boy? What did he do to? "

"He didn't do anything ... it's just ... he's good at everything!"

Naruto stopped.

"Eh?"

"His name is Osamu and he is good at everything! He does everything well and always wins! It's not fair!"

To Naruto it was like hearing an echo of his own childhood. He couldn't believe that Sasuke was saying those words though.

"And you also want to win."

"Yeah! I won't lose to Osamu! "Sasuke exclaimed."I'll beat him! Then they'll all see **me**!"

Naruto chuckled. It was like watching a mixture of the competitive Uchiha Sasuke, who could not lose against anyone, and Uzumaki Naruto, the showoff who doesn't quit.

"Don't laugh!" Sasuke muttered embarrassed.

"Ah! Ah! Sorry Sasuke... I'm not laughing at you. Is just that you remind me of when I was your age."

Sasuke looked perplexed at his father. Papa had been his age? He could not believe it. Like it was hard to think he had a name. Papa was always Papa and he couldn't see him any other way.

"You were a little boy too?" the child asked.

"Of course! All adults were children one day."

"Na-ha! You're lying! "

"I'm not! I was a baby and a kid like you. I went to the Academy and played with the other boys. I hated losing and I got very angry every time someone beaten me."

Sasuke was shocked. He could not imagine his father as a boy like him. It was too weird.

"Close your mouth, son" Naruto told him while he closed the toddler's mouth with his hand. "Or a fly might go in!"

As they ate the steaks which Naruto had bought, Sasuke continued to think. How could his Papa been a child? How was he like? And then he remembered that he didn't even know how he was called...

"Papa! Tell me your name?" the child said suddenly.

Naruto swallowed the rest of his steak.

"Huh? Why do you want to know that so all of a sudden?"

"You have a name too, right? Like mine? "

"Oh yes... Everyone has a name."

"And was your Papa who gave you the name?"

Naruto helped Sasuke cut the steak into smaller pieces "Yes... it was my Tou-chan who named me. Ero-Sen... My godfather had written a book and my Tou-chan liked the hero of the story so much he that he gave me the same name. "

"Really? What's your name?"

Papa looked at Sasuke in the eyes and smiled at him kindly.

"Naruto"

"Na-ru-to" Sasuke repeated slowly. "Naruto..."

"Exactly… My full name is Uzumaki Naruto. "

Sasuke opened his onyx eyes with amazement, while his father went to get the cakes that they were going to eat for dessert.

_"Uzumaki ..."_ he thought. _"Last name... Uzumaki ..."_

"Whirlpool" Sasuke said. "Uzumaki means whirlpool!"

Naruto stroked his black hair.

"Believe it, dattebayo!"

* * *

_That night, Sasuke dreamed of water. _

_He was sitting next to a lake and threw stones at __it as the breeze ruffled his hair and several leaves fluctuated in the waters._

_Above him, on a road, was __another boy like him. The boy looked at Sasuke and grimaced, Sasuke replied with another frown. They both stared at each other until the boy pouted and went away._

_Sasuke also pouted and continued to gaze at the lake. But he was smiling..._

_

* * *

_

"Boys and girls!" Izumi-sensei called. "It's time to deliver your uchiwa!"

All the kids lined up to deliver their paper fans. When Sasuke handed his, Izumi-sensei seemed surprised.

"Wow, Sasuke-chan" said the sensei. "This is one of the prettiest I've ever seen!"

Sasuke added to his paper fan many eddies. The uchiwa's red top was full of white swirls and the white bottom was filled with black swirls.

"It's a very nice pattern, Sasuke-chan" his sensei said, putting his paper fan on the scoreboard. "But why swirls?"

"'Cause that's what my last name means!" the toddler exclaimed. "I know my whole name now, sensei!"

"Oh yeah? What is it? "

Sasuke smiled at her, glowing with pride.

"Uzumaki Sasuke."

* * *

"AH! I love dumplings!" Tenten exclaimed, swallowing several at once.

"Tenten, you shouldn't eat so much! We have to arrive at Konoha in the morning! "Rock Lee said, getting a cold gaze from his fellow teammate.

"There you are with your impossible ideas again!" Tenten muttered. "You know how many miles are from the village? It will take us at least two weeks to return. "

"But if every effort is made, I am sure we can do it!"

Neji approached his friends and sat on a bench.

"Give it up Tenten, just let him believe what he wants" the young Jonin said.

Their mission was complicated; they had to protect the daughter of a daimyo who was moving from her homeland to her groom's land. After nineteen kidnapping attempts, ten of murder and five of theft, the ninjas were exhausted and couldn't wait to return home.

"Here's your tea," the owner of the small shop near the road where they had stopped said.

"Thank you" they replied.

"You are all ninjas? You seem so young to venture into a job so dangerous" the old lady said.

"Don't worry about us" Tenten said.

"Being a shinobi can be dangerous, but there's no better way to live life at the fullest!" Lee exclaimed.

Neji merely drank his tea.

"I guess it's an adventurous life" the old woman answered. "There was a ninja who came here that said the same thing."

"Really?" Lee asked.

"Yes ... it was a lovely young man. Very energetic and full of life! He was so hungry he bought six packages of instant ramen! "

Neji choked with his tea and started coughing. The other two stared at the old woman with bulging eyes.

"Ramen?" Tenten Asked. "He asked for Ramen?"

"Tell us, this ninja was blond and had blue eyes? Was he dressed in orange?" Lee asked, restless.

"Well... I think so. Yes... he was definitely blonde. He also had some marks on his cheeks that looked whiskers ..."

"Naruto-kun!" Lee exclaimed "He was here!"

"Ma'am, can you tell us how long this ninja came here?" Neji spoke.

"Now let me think... it was more or less in last year's winter."

"He said where he was going?"

"He didn't say... but he said that he was traveling through the forest" the old lady pointed to the woods behind the store. "He went that way!"

Team Guy was unable to find any more clues, but came back to Konoha more impatiently than before.

After three years of searching, they found a clue about Naruto.

* * *

**There you have it!**

**Rina's name means "jasmine flower", I thought it would be a nice contrast.**

**Osamu's name is from Digimon 02, ****Ken Ichijouji's child prodigy brother. I believe in the american dub, they named him Sam, here in Portugal we received the series from Spain which was translated directly from the japanese version.**

**The ****Momotarō story was taken directly from Wikipedia. It's a very famous fairy tale in Japan.**

******According to the manga, since Jiraiya made Naruto's name up, he became his godfather. **

******Dattebayo has no literal English translation; however, "Believe It!" was used in the English dub to mimic the lips movements. And no... Sasuke won't inherit that verbal tic!**

******Sorry for the cliffy...**


	16. The forest, the cat and death

**Hello there! This chapter has a little more action and some scenes may look confusing and pointless, but I promised to make things clearer in the following chapters.**

**To fully understand this chapter I advise you to watch episodes 54 to 71 of the _Naruto: Shippūden_ anime if you haven't already. I know they're a filler arc... but it was my favourite filler arc, sorry...**

**Also, Naruto has just turned 20 which means that, in Japan, he is legally allowed to drink alcohol. Sasuke is 3 years and about 4 months old.**

**Akuma means demon.**

**

* * *

**

**The forest, the cat and death**

森林、猫と死 (_Shinrin, neko to shi_)

_November 6th_

Autumn arrived cold and rainy. The trees changed from green to shades of red and yellow, filling the streets with leaves.

It was almost 8 am and Naruto was making breakfast while yawning. Sasuke, on the other hand, held a bowl filled with milk and went to the living room balcony, trying not to spill.

Carefully, he opened the window and put his bowl on the porch.

"Sasuke? Come eat your breakfast" Naruto called, turning to the balcony. "What are you doing?"

"I'm waiting for him to come today."

Naruto understood and smiled. Their balcony was leaning against the roof of the next house, where a black cat with a white ear used to sleep his naps before going to hunt rats.

Since he found him sleeping on the roof, Sasuke tried to convince the cat to come to him, but with no success.

"There he is!" the child exclaimed, when the black cat jumped gracefully from the old oak tree to the roof next door. "Come here kitty! Come on!"

The cat looked uninterestingly at Sasuke and lay on the tiles.

"Kitty! Here! I have milk for you!" Sasuke insisted, raising the bowl. "Come here! I'm not gonna hurt you. "

The black cat lifted his head and looked at Sasuke.

"That's it! Come here!"

With a yawn, the cat got up and went away with an irritated look.

"Oh... he went away..." the toddler lamented, putting the bowl sadly on the floor.

Naruto went over to his son and knelt beside him.

"That cat is a loner" the blonde said. "He prefers to be on his own."

"But I wanna us to be friends... Why doesn't he want to be my friend?" Sasuke asked, feeling depressed.

"Come on... Don't feel bad. Let the bowl there ... maybe he'll want to come drink milk later" Naruto told him, grabbing the boy's hand. "Don't give up!"

* * *

The masked man was in a bad mood. He had paid a fortune for a crappy boat ticket which should take him to the capital of Land of Sun, but a storm had forced the ship to dock at a tiny port in the middle of nowhere.

And they refused to give him back the money!

"Sorry, sir," the captain of the boat said. "But we made the trip as the agency has hired us. There are no refunds! "

"You must be kidding me!" the man growled. "I paid you to take me to the Taiyo city! Not the middle of nowhere!"

After 15 minutes of shouting, insults and threats, the man grabbed his knapsack and went his way to the nearest village.

An old plaque, almost out of ink marked the village of Nikko to 15 miles away.

* * *

Despite the day being cold, the children were allowed to play on the playground.

While Izumi-sensei was talking to Tomoyo-sensei, the kindergarten teacher of the 4 year old kids, and with Suzuki-sensei, the kindergarten teacher of the five years old kids, all the children laughed and played.

Sasuke was building a sand castle with Ryota and Akira, but he could not forget the cat that lived on the roof. He really wanted to play with him.

Near them, the four-year-old boys were playing ball and made too much noise shouting to each other.

"Watch out!" one cried.

Sasuke and the other classmates looked at the red ball as it passed over their heads and fell across the fence, right in the middle of some bushes.

"Oh, man!" the boys shouted, running towards the net that served as a fence.

Sasuke, Ryota and Akira also stood up and joined the others.

"Where's the ball?"

"There! In the bushes! "

"Takuya, you big baka! Why did you kick the ball so hard?"

"It was an accident!" Takuya defended himself.

"Now you have to go get it."

"What?" Takuya squealed. "No way!"

"What is it, Takuya? Are you afraid of the monsters? "

"It's not that ..."

Sasuke turned to his classmates "Monsters?"

"It's true," Akira said. "My Nii-san told me that monsters live in the forest behind the fence. That's why the sensei won't let us go play there! "

"My mama said a boy once didn't silent to the sensei and fled into the woods and never came back!" Ryota said. "The monsters got him and ate him!"

Sasuke stared at the woods. He and his Papa had lived in forests when he was very little, so he could not remember it very well. But that forest was dark and scary, monsters could live there... like the demons that Momotarō had defeated.

Demons that ate children...

"If you are so brave then get the ball back, Takuya!" one of the boys challenged, pointing to a hole in the middle of the net.

Takuya was livid.

"Me?"

"I knew it! You're afraid! "

"I'm not afraid of anything!"

"Then go get the ball!"

Takuya looked with fear to the hole in the net and to the mocking smiles of his friends. Filling up his chest, the boy went to the hole and passed it.

More children had joined in the net, watching Takuya approaching the forest. Everyone expected a monster to emerge suddenly and devour him.

Takuya gulped but continued to advance. With shaking hands he grabbed the ball...

The sound of leaves stirring made them all paralyze with fear. By the bushes where Takuya was, the leaves moved.

Takuya retreated several steps, trembling. But he stumbled on a rock and fell backwards.

At the same time, a crow came from the foliage. All the children screamed, attracting the attention of the kindergarten teachers.

Tomoyo-sensei led Takuya to the classroom and told him she was going to tell everything to his parents. Ryota started to cry and clung to Izumi-sensei.

"You cannot go to the forest," the sensei told them. "It's a very dangerous place."

Akira and Sasuke followed their sensei into the nursery, while Ryota cried in her arms. For the children, the worst nightmare was getting lost in that Forest of Death, alone with the monsters…

* * *

When Sasuke returned home the first thing he did was run towards the living room balcony. To his great joy, the black cat was drinking the milk!

"Kitty!" the child exclaimed, opening the sliding window and headed for the cat.

The animal arched his back, raised his fur and hissed when Sasuke tried to approach him.

"Don't be scared" Sasuke told him handing his pale hand. "I just wanna be…"

The black cat hissed and scratched his hand. Sasuke started screaming, grabbing the wounded hand, and the cat jumped from the balcony to the roof and disappeared among the leaves of the oak.

Naruto ran to the balcony and noticed Sasuke.

"Sasuke! What is it? "Naruto asked.

Sasuke ran into his father's arms and showed him the scratch. Naruto caught the toddler in his arms and carried him to the bathroom to wash the cut.

"There... There... Don't cry. It's just a scratch, it'll heal soon" Naruto said softly as he washed the wound and put a plaster on it.

Sasuke clung to his father's chest and wept with pain. He had seen his own blood and that frightened him a lot.

"The cat scratched you, huh?" Naruto realized while stroking the child's back.

"Why? Why did he... *Sniff* ... scratched me?" the boy sobbed. "I just wanted ... I just wanted to be his friend ... ... and he hurt me ..."

"_I felt the same way too, once."_

Naruto recalled having those same feelings when he fought against Sasuke, a lifetime ago.

* * *

_Sasuke grabbed Naruto's neck and closed his fist. Naruto could already feel the lack of blood on his head, but that was nothing compared to the pain he felt in his heart._

_Sasuke was killing him… He was actually killing him. And he smiled while doing it._

"Maybe I was the only one who thought...thought we were friends." _Naruto thought._

"_I told you, it's too late, Naruto!" Sasuke said._

_The Uchiha's Chidori went through Naruto's chest. A stream of blood came down the blonde's torso and up his throat._

"If that's the case, then how stupid am I Sasuke? I can't help it but... I don't know why... I don't know why, but... But I just can't bear the thought of seeing you taken away by someone like Orochimaru."_ Naruto thought as his vision began fading…_

_

* * *

_

As Sasuke's tears ran through his face, Naruto placed his hand in the child's head.

"I know that, son... but the cat doesn't know that you want to be his friend. He doesn't know you or trusts you..." Naruto wiped Sasuke's tears with his thumbs. "Give him some time and don't force him. He'll like you."

Sasuke snorted and choked back a sob "Really?"

"You'll see... does it still hurt?"

"A little..." Sasuke said.

Naruto took Sasuke to the living room and sat on the couch, with his son on his lap. Maybe if he told him a story, the boy would lighten up.

The blonde opened the closet to get the books and noticed that something had fallen from one and floated to the ground.

It was a photograph and it made Naruto smile.

"Wow man!" Naruto exclaimed, looking at the picture. "I didn't remember I had this."

Sasuke turned to his father.

"What?"

"I found a picture of us" Naruto said handing the photo to Sasuke so that he could see.

In the photo, Sasuke recognized Gama Jii-chan and Gama Baa-chan with whom they spent their winters, two giant toads, that he remembered being Gamakichi and Gamatatsu, also smiled for the photo. In the middle of the picture, was a blond boy with a big grin holding a baby close to his chest.

Naruto sat next to Sasuke and pointed to the picture.

"You know who they are?" Naruto asked.

"I know! They're Jii-chan and Baa-chan and the frog brothers..."

"And these two here in the middle?"

"Ah... I don't know..."

"Are you sure? Don't you recognize them? "

Sasuke looked at the photo more closely. The blond boy had spiky hair and like his Daddy, but it was shorter, he also had the same blue eyes, and whiskers marks...

"Is that you, Papa?" Sasuke asked very surprised.

"Sure am!"

"You were different! You look smaller!"

"That's because I grew up a lot! And do you know this baby? "

The baby had black hair and black eyes like Sasuke.

"It's me! That baby is me?"Naruto nodded. "Wow! I'm that baby! "

"Yes you are! You also grew up a lot. "

Sasuke looked at the photo in wonder.

"Ne! Ne! How was I like when I was baby?"

"Well... You were very little and noisy. You cried a lot and I couldn't sleep… You also pooped a lot in your diaper. That was gross!"

"Papa!" Sasuke screamed, getting red.

"Sorry Sasuke! But you were also very smart and cute! I had fun taking care of you."

"Did you like me, Papa? The baby me…"

Naruto blinked. It sort of seemed like the old Sasuke asking him if he was too hard to handle.

"It was hard sometimes… but I loved every second of the baby you." The blonde answered.

Sasuke looked at Naruto attentively "Do you still… love me? Like when I was a baby?"

Naruto smiled at the child's need for him to prove his affection. Children needed to know they were loved… And, from what Itachi had told him, Sasuke's birth father wasn't very open-hearted.

"I love you even more each day!"

Sasuke blushed slightly and hugged his father. Suddenly, someone knocked at the door.

"Stay there, Sasuke" Naruto said, turning toward the door and opened it slowly.

In the hallway, was a middle-aged very breathless woman.

"Uzumaki-san... sorry to disturb you at this moment... but it's an emergency. A fishing boat is stuck in the rocks... my husband is there and..."

Naruto nodded gravely.

"I understand... I'll be there soon."

"Thank you, Uzumaki-san" the woman replied, before disappearing down the stairs.

Sasuke got up from the sofa and went into the hall "What's is it, Papa?"

Naruto went to his son and got his coat.

"Some men need my help. I have to go."

"You're going to work?" the child asked, very disappointed. "Now?"

Naruto didn't accept work after bringing Sasuke from the nursery. But that was an emergency.

"Sorry, son... I'll have to go out a little while. You'll stay with Mayu Baa-chan until I get back ..."

"Oh... But I wanted to play with you..." Sasuke whined.

Naruto put on his sandals and helped Sasuke with his before leaving their home and go up the stairs. The blond patted the door of the upstairs neighbor, who opened with a gentle smile.

"Oh! Naruto? What a pleasure to see you. Need something? "the old woman asked.

"Hello Mayu Baa-chan ... I'm sorry to bother you at this time, but I need to go out for a bit. Can you look after Sasuke until I get back? "

Mayu was a nice and gentle old lady who was very fond of children. Since Naruto and Sasuke had moved to the building, she had offered to look for the child and help Naruto with shopping and housework.

"But of course," Mayu replied, casting a smile to Sasuke who grasped his father's hand. "We're going to have fun, right Sasuke-chan?"

"Who's there?" a deep voice asked. Soon after, Kazuo, Mayu's husband, came close to the doorway. "But if it is not Naruto? Are you working, boy? "

Naruto nodded.

"Yes... An emergency."

Mayu grabbed Sasuke's hand and pulled him inside.

"You can go calmly," Kazuo said. "Your boy is in good hands."

"I'll be right back" Naruto said to Sasuke. "Be good!"

Sasuke was grumpy and refused to look at Naruto.

"Sasuke?" Kazuo asked. "Don't you say goodbye to your father?"

"Hmpf!" Sasuke snorted in a bad mood. "No! He's a liar! I don't like him anymore!"

"Sasuke-chan! You shouldn't say that! " Mayu said, but Naruto reassured her.

"It's alright, Baa-Chan. He's just disappointed. Well... Bye!"

Naruto waved goodbye but Sasuke refused to face him. The child crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

Mayu pulled Sasuke into the apartment.

The walls were full up with photographs of the old couple and paintings depicting landscapes of all types: mountains, cliffs, valleys, beaches and rivers. All the closets were crammed with trinkets.

"Baa-chan?" Sasuke asked. "Where's Kosame?"

Mayu smiled at him and pointed to the living room "She is dozing by the fireplace. Why don't you play with her while I prepare you a cup of warm milk? "

"Ok" Sasuke responded by going into the room.

As Mayu said, Kosame, the old couple's dog was lying beside the fireplace and was snoring softly. Sasuke ran to her and sat beside her, patting the brown fur.

Kazuo sat in his old armchair and watched the toddler and the dog, which had now woken up and licked indolently Sasuke's hand.

"She's very nice" Sasuke said.

"She was always a big lazy, she has no energy to be bad," Kazuo said and noticed the plaster in the child's hand. "Are you hurt Sasuke?"

Sasuke raised his hand so Kazuo could see the wound better "It was the black kitty that sleeps on the roof..."

"Ah ... I see ..."

"I just wanted to pat him... Why he's not nice like Kosame?"

"That cat likes to be alone," Kazuo said. "He is very naughty when annoyed... The residents of the building often call him Akuma."

"Akuma... Demon? He's a demon? "

"No! But he is as bad as one! "

Mayu entered the room bearing a tray with a bowl of warm milk and some chocolate cookies. Sasuke ran to the table and began eating with pleasure.

"You like the cookies, Sasuke-chan?" Mayu said, smiling to see the child eating so heartily.

"They're good Baa-chan... Arigato!"

"Good. You can eat as much as you want. "

"We were talking about the old Akuma, Mayu" Kazuo said. "He scratched Sasuke."

"Really? That cat has never been the same since the owner died. "

Sasuke finished drinking his milk and stared at them with a puzzled expression.

"Died?"

"Well..." Kazuo muttered, trying to find the right words. "You know what happens when someone dies, Sasuke?"

"Like the monsters that Momotarō killed? They go away forever and never come back. "

'Well... to die is just like that. It means the person disappears. "

"Good people also die?"

Kazuo and Mayu were suddenly depressed "Yes... one day they die too. Akuma's owner died when he went fishing in the sea. "

"And where people go after they die?"

"Some say they go to Heaven, which is a very beautiful place where people are always happy."

"And when they come back?" the child asked.

"They... don't come back."

"Why?"

"They can't come back..."

"But why?"

"No one knows Sasuke..."

Sasuke jumped off the chair and came near Kosame.

"Kazuo Jii-chan?" Sasuke asked.

"Hmm?"

"Akuma's owner also went to Heaven?"

"I think so."

"Then why is Akuma so mean?"

"Akuma was so fond of its owner that he doesn't want to have more friends" the old man said.

"But ... he'll be lonely forever!" the child retorted.

Mayu approached Sasuke and knelt beside him.

"Sometimes, Sasuke-chan... people are mean because they are very, very sad."

But Sasuke couldn't understand. Who would want to live sad forever? If Akuma was sad and lonely why didn't he want to make new friends? It was too confusing...

Kazuo looked absentmindedly at an old photograph featured on top of a closet. Sasuke also noticed this and approached the closet to see the picture better.

It was a girl, slightly older than him, and she was smiling for the photo, clutching a bouquet of daisies.

"Who's that girl?" Sasuke asked, pointing to the picture.

"She... was our daughter" Mayu said, also approaching the photo.

"Where is she?"

"She also went to heaven a long time ago."

"But... she was a little girl!" Sasuke exclaimed confused. "Kids don't die!"

"She was just 6-years-old. She was called Nazuna and she was very sweet and funny... but she got very sick and went to heaven. "

Sasuke stood silently, watching the picture. He felt frightened and confused by the concept of the word "death."

* * *

Naruto moved slowly and carefully through the middle of the ocean waves. The fishing boat was very close and he could hear the cries of the fishermen.

"Uzumaki-san! It's Uzumaki-san!" one of the fishermen yelled.

Naruto was wearing a hood and covered his mouth and nose with a cloth to prevent water to enter his mouth. He was soaked to the bone and shivering, but had to take the boat from the rocks.

"Are you all right?" he asked. "Was someone hurt?"

"No! But the boat is stuck!" one fisherman said and pointed to the rocks.

Naruto entered Sage Mode with some difficulty because of the waves and rain and started pulling the boat, trying not to destroy it. Those fishermen depended on the boat for a living.

"Hold on!" Naruto yelled as the ship rose into the air and landed gently in the water.

"Awesome!" the men cried.

"Can you reach shore?" Naruto asked, breaking Sage Mode.

"We think so!"

"Thanks, man!"

Naruto smiled under cloth and began to head towards land. Then he saw a figure walking on water... like him.

"_A ninja!"_ Naruto thought.

The unknown shinobi was hooded, so Naruto could not see his face. Noticing Naruto, his body suddenly became tense and ready to attack.

For some time they both just stared at each other, with the waves and rain passing through them furiously.

A particularly violent wave was all it took to make them discharge each other. The fight started slowly but with intense Taijutsu, evolving to punches and kicks more purposeful.

Naruto didn't know for sure why he had to beat that guy but, if possible, he had to know where he came from.

The fishermen eagerly watched the fight. It was the first time they saw a clash between ninjas and they were entertained. Between them, they began to make bets on who would win.

Naruto continued to fight but it was getting difficult. His opponent was good, and he could have sworn he had already fought with someone like him before...

_"Playtime is over!"_ he thought.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he cried, creating five clones.

The clones attacked the unknown man but he soon was able to defeat three with his Taijutsu. Naruto and the other two clones were launched into the air; the other ninja did the same.

"Rasengan!"

"Wind Release: Beast Wave Palm!"

Both adversaries stared in disbelief. When their two attacks crashed into each other, the explosion threw them in opposite directions and eventually they sunk into the sea.

"What just happened?" one of the fishermen asked.

"Did they kill each other?"

Naruto washed up and saw that the other shinobi did the same. They coughed and stared up wide-eyed. Very gently, they uncovered both their faces.

"Naruto!" a boy with straight brown hair cried.

"Sora!" Naruto shouted.

* * *

Sasuke was very angry. It was time for dinner and his father hadn't returned yet. He dined with Mayu and Kazuo and when his father would finally arrive he'd have to go to bed and they wouldn't play anything.

_"__Papa is an usuratonkachi!"_ Sasuke thought angrily.

The toddler was trying to play with Kosame, but she was asleep. Grumpy and grouchy, Sasuke got up and left the living room towards the kitchen.

"The storm got worse..." Mayu murmured as she washed the dishes.

"It's true. The waves are going to be huge, tonight will be dangerous." Kazuo said.

"I hope Naruto is okay" Mayu said. Sasuke stood behind the door. "The sea is so dangerous..."

"Naruto is a strong boy!" Kazuo said. "He'll be fine!"

"I hope so... What would Sasuke-chan do if his father died at sea?"

Sasuke felt a painful weight on his chest. _"Died?"_

"Don't think about that, Mayu."

"Naruto is so young ... But even young people die. On top, Sasuke-chan was angry with him. It would be a horrible way to say goodbye to each other. "

Sasuke's fury disappeared and was replaced by cold and absolute fear. The child let he slip to the floor and started crying tears of sorrow, anguish and guilt.

* * *

"Holy shit, Naruto! This was the last place I expected to find you!" the young monk exclaimed, drinking his soup with satisfaction.

After the fight at sea, the two boys dragged themselves dribbling a restaurant in the village to dry up and talk freely.

"Same here, I was not expecting to see you" Naruto said. "There have been... what? Four years? Time flies!"

"I hardly recognized you! You no longer look like an idiot kid" Sora took a sip of his sake. "Now you look like an idiot... man."

Naruto's eyes sparkled and he displayed a dangerous smile. "I may be an idiot, but I can still kick your sorry ass."

"You wish!" Sora said. "But tell me… what are you doing here? You are on a mission from Konoha? "

"Sort of... Tsunade-Baa-chan gave me permission to travel for some time."

"Traveling? You? Decided to follow my example, eh? Okay... Now tell me all the news! How is Asuma-ossan? Does he still have a beard?"

Naruto looked away "Asuma-sensei... died."

Sora stopped eating and looked at Naruto.

"Died?"

"Akatsuki killed him..." Naruto turned to stare at Sora. "Chiriku-san too..."

Sora opened his eyes and then diverted them with violence, but Naruto could see them watering.

"I'm so sorry, Sora."

"I didn't even know... Damn! I didn't even think that they could die. I never thanked Asuma-ossan personally... I didn't even say goodbye to Chiriku-sama and he taught me everything I know..."

Sora ran his fingers over his head with a sadden expression.

"They died like heroes" Naruto continued. "They fought until the end."

"I did not expect less from them..."

Sora asked for details about the struggles against Hidan and Kakuzo. After a few minutes he seemed more spirited. Eventually the conversation turned to Naruto.

"So you are working here in this wasteland? How long?"

"Hmm... Since April... so for about seven months."

"Wow! I never imagined you pleased to do small jobs..."

"I needed the cash!"

The waitresses in the restaurant watched Naruto eagerly while trying to gain courage to go talk to him. Finally a tall, curvaceous one went to his table shaking her generous hips.

"Need anything else, Uzumaki-sama?" she asked with a sexy voice.

"Eh? No thanks... could you bring the bill, please? "

"Sure" she said turning away.

Naruto turned to the table, and drank his tea, completely oblivious to the girls that drooled all over him.

Sora shook his head.

_"Naruto... you're really short-sighted!"_

"Need a place to stay the night, Sora? You can sleep in my house."

"No thanks. I already rented a cottage near the sea. Tomorrow I'll meet you... I'll be your competition from now on!"

"Good luck, but I don't intend to lose" Naruto paid tea and rose up. "I have to get going."

"Ahhh... Don't you want to celebrate a little? We're 20! Let's have fun! "

"I have to go home" Naruto simply said. "My son is waiting for me."

"Oh come on! You could... YOUR WHAT?"

Naruto mentally kicked himself. He had spoken too much!

* * *

**Well... Sasuke was a bit of a brat in this chapter, but that's normal for children when they don't get what they want (some adults are like that too XD).**

**Sorry, that's the fourth filler character I bring up!**

**About the "Heaven" thing... I have no idea what the japanese parents tell their children about the afterlife. I once saw an episode in Card Captor Sakura where a little girl mentioned that her dad had died and went to Heaven and she wanted to fly to go see him, that's why I used the same example. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	17. Bonds

**Hey there! This one is a chibi-chapter. The next chapters will have more action.**

**I hope you like it, nevertheless.**

**

* * *

**

**Bonds**

絆 (_Kizuna_)

Naruto paralyzed and felt a drop of sweat dripping down his forehead.

_"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!__" _he thought, dismayed by his slip of the tongue.

"Naruto... what did you just say?" Sora asked again. "You have a son...?"

"Ah... I..." Naruto stuttered. It was too late to deny. "Yes... I have."

Sora stood up and continued to stare at Naruto as if he had been born another head.

"How did that happen?" Sora asked, immediately getting bright red. "I mean... I know how **that** happened; I don't need you to explain the "process". What I mean is... what the hell happened?"

"Well... it's quite complicated and difficult to explain."

"Was it with Sakura?" Sora asked.

"No! It wasn't!" Naruto exclaimed blushing.

"Was it with one of the other girls there in Konoha? Was it with that shy girl with the white eyes? Or with the blonde with the horse-tail? "

"It wasn't with anyone in Konoha!" Naruto shouted, feeling his face on fire. "Stop trying to guess!"

"Oh! It was with someone from outside, eh? "

"I told you stop trying to guess!"

"Ok! Ok! The kid's mother is here with you? You came here to live "quieter"?

"Eh... no she's not here" Naruto said, trying to be as vague as possible.

"So where is she?"

"She died... a long time ago..." Naruto replied, technically he was not lying he just wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Oh... I'm sorry" Sora said ceasing to smile.

"It's ok..."

"Then... what about the kid? How old is he?"

"Three years."

"Three? Wow! You had a son when you were seventeen? Early..."

"Hey! You have nothing to do with it!"

"Sorry, I was yanking your chain. But this is really amazing! You raising a child? And alone! The guys in Konoha must have been crazy when they found out! "

Naruto and Sora left the restaurant and began walking down the streets, under their umbrellas.

"Actually... except for Tsunade Baa-chan none of my friends knows" the blonde said, looking straight ahead.

"They don't know? Why?"

"It's ... complicated."

"Do you think they will pass judgment on you? They're your friends, they will understand."

"I know... It's just ... I'm not ready to tell them yet."

Sora became aware of his friend's discomfort and changed the subject "What is his name?"

"Huh?"

"Your kid! What's his name? "

"Sasuke..."

"Sasuke, huh? I've heard that name somewhere... "

Naruto stared at the rainy black clouds. Probably it would thunder.

"Sasuke was a member of Akatsuki who started the war."

Sora stared at Naruto unable to understand.

"And why did you named him after a criminal?"

"Because before he became a criminal, he was my best friend."

Sora realized the sadness in Naruto and became silent _"You were betrayed, right Naruto?"_

"Tomorrow I want you to meet him" Naruto said with a smile. "You'll like him, I'm sure."

Sora returned his smile. He remembered the time he lived with his father, Kazuma.

"I cannot wait."

* * *

After saying goodbye to Sora, Naruto rushed to go home. It was almost ten o'clock and Sasuke should be really grumpy.

_"I had no choice, t__eme. We can't always have everything we want"_ Naruto thought_."If he makes a tantrum, I'll really have to punish him, if even it hurts me."_

Naruto had been a little hurt when Sasuke told him that he no longer liked him, but tried to think of it as the result of a childish tantrum. After all, Sasuke was little more than a baby who talked and walked.

The blonde climbed the stairs and knocked on the neighbor's door.

"Naruto! You're here!"Mayu said, opening the door to let him into the house.

"Sorry about the delay, Baa-chan. But something came up. "

"We're just happy you're fine... With the storm we feared the worst."

"Everything went well! All the fishermen returned home. Sasuke behaved well? "

Mayu looked back at the door of her bedroom.

"Sasuke-chan behaved very well and has dined with us" the old lady said.

"Thank you for your trouble."

"There was no trouble... but ..."

"What?"

"Well ... after dinner, Sasuke-chan started screaming and crying all of a sudden" Mayu said with a worried expression. "We tried him to tell us what was going on but he just sobbed and was unable to speak."

Naruto stared at the old lady, concerned and surprised "Was he sick? Was he hurt? "

"We tried to see if he was injured but we did not find anything... He didn't told us he was sick. He just continued to cry and refused to leave the hallway. "

"The hallway?"

"We also couldn't understand. There was no way to him take away from the hall... finally he ended up falling asleep. Kazuo is with him in our bedroom. "

Naruto went to elderly couple's room and knocked on the door. Kazuo opened it and greeted him before the he let Naruto towards the inside. Sasuke was lying on a pillow; face down and with his eyes still swollen and red.

"He's sleeping like a rock" Kazuo said. "He was worn out."

Naruto took the child out of bed and took him in his arms. When passing a hand across his forehead, Naruto deduced that Sasuke had no fever.

_"Did he __have a Déjà Vu? Did he saw something scary from his past? "_

"Jii-chan... did Sasuke talk about something in particular? Something that might have frightened him? "

"Now that I think about it, Sasuke noticed the photo of our late daughter and made us questions about death. I tried to be as careful as possible... and he didn't seem scared. Only two hours later he started crying..."

_"Was that it? Sasuke's life had been full of death... the death of his parents, his brother's, the deaths that he himself had caused… "_

"I see. Thanks for everything, Jii-chan. And sorry. "

Naruto said goodbye to the neighbors and went home. He landed Sasuke still dressed on the bed and decided to take a bath before bedtime. After getting a bath towel and his pajamas, the blonde ninja went to the bathroom and took a hot shower.

In his room, Sasuke slowly opened his eyes and noticed that he was no longer in the neighbors' lobby. The child stood up and realized that he was in his own bed. With a jump, he got out of bed, walked to the window and pulled the curtains. It was still dark and raining outside, a lightning appeared in the clouds and thunder followed.

Sasuke felt frightened by the storm and remembered what Baa-chan Mayu and Kazuo Jii-chan had said.

_"The storm got worse..." Mayu murmured as she washed the dishes._

_"It's true. The waves are going to be huge, tonight will be dangerous." Kazuo said._

_"I hope Naruto is okay" Mayu said. "The sea is so dangerous..."_

_"Naruto is a strong boy!" Kazuo said. "He'll be fine!"_

_"I hope so... What would Sasuke-chan do if his father died at sea?"_

_"Don't think about that, Mayu."_

_"Naruto is so young... But even young people die. On top, Sasuke-chan was angry with him. It would be a horrible way to say goodbye to each other. "_

Sasuke felt his chest suddenly tight and his lower lip began to quiver.

"Papa... Papa..." the child sobbed with his eyes full of tears.

Sasuke left the room and went running to the kitchen.

"Papa?" he called, but the kitchen was empty and cold. "Papa, where are you?"

After leaving the kitchen, Sasuke searched for Naruto in the living room and in the bedroom, but his father was not anywhere. The 3-year-old child continued calling for him but with no response.

Sasuke went to his father's bed and began to weep and groan. It was all his fault ... his Daddy was gone forever because Sasuke had been mean and called him names. Now he would never see him again ... he couldn't say he was sorry...

_"What have I done?" _Sasuke thought struck with horror and guilt over what he had caused.

Naruto had just left the shower and dried his hair with the hairdryer. He felt much better now that was he was dry and warm and without that damn fish smell embedded in his skin.

The young shinobi left the bathroom and thought he heard soft groans. Naruto opened Sasuke's bedroom door but the latter was not there. It was then that he realized the sound was coming from his room.

Naruto went into inside and turned on the light. Sasuke was lying on his bed, clutching a pillow and crying his eyes out.

Naruto came and sat on the edge of the bed. Slowly, he rested a hand on the child's back.

"Sasuke?"

The child opened his eyes and turned slowly. When he saw Naruto sitting next to him, he was speechless.

"Are you okay Sasuke?" Naruto asked again, but the child continued to look at him as if he had seen a ghost. "What's wrong? Are you feeling bad? "

Sasuke threw himself into Naruto's arms and began to wail again. The boy had his hands fisted on his father's shirt and buried his face in his chest. On the other hand, Naruto merely placed his hands on the child's back and let him cry at will.

"What happened, Sasuke? Why are you crying?"

Sasuke continued to sob. His tears wetted Naruto's pajama shirt front, but he didn't care.

"Shh... It's okay... Don't be scared" Naruto whispered softly, stroking his small back. "Papa's here... Tell me what happened. "

The two continued embraced for some time without saying a word. Gradually Sasuke's sobs decreased but the child still hugged Naruto tightly, refusing to separate from him.

"Sowy... Sowy..." Sasuke stuttered between sobs.

"Huh?"

"Sowy... Sowy... Sowy..."

_"Sorry?"_ Naruto realized. "Sorry for what, son?"

"Sowy... Sowy..."

Sasuke continued to apologize over and over again, which shocked Naruto at least. Sasuke never asked him for forgiveness, in his first life it he would have considered an apology as a humiliation because it would degrade himself under someone.

Saying that he was sorry was a sign of weakness for Sasuke. But now...

"Why are you saying you're sorry, Sasuke?"

Sasuke snorted but didn't remove his head from Naruto's chest, as if he was ashamed to show his face.

"Sowy... Sorry... I was… I was mean to you..." Sasuke replied. Naruto's eyes widened. "Sorry... sorry I called you names... sorry I said that I didn't like you anymore... sorry... sorry... sorry..."

To Naruto it was as if Sasuke was apologizing for everything and not only for his tantrum... but for all the insults, for all the painful words, for all that contempt.

"Sorry… Sorry…"

Naruto hugged Sasuke tightly and smiled soothingly. That was the answer he had for his son and his best friend... because they were the same person.

"I forgive you..." said Naruto."I'll always forgive you."

Sasuke hugged him back. Finally, the child found the courage to look his father in the eyes.

"I didn't mean to... I don't wanna you to die... please don't die..."

Naruto blinked in surprise. Finally, he remembered the conversation with Kazuo.

"Don't worry. I won't die anytime soon."

"I don't wanna you die..."

"Nobody wants to die, Sasuke. But we all die one day. "

"No! You won't die!" the child cried.

Naruto smiled again sadly.

"Everyone is born and dies, that is life."

"But I don't wanna you to die..." the toddler repeated."And I don't wanna die."

Naruto sighed softly before speaking "Everyone dies, and that's why we lose people we love most... But just because that person has disappeared it does not mean that it ceased to exist."

Sasuke looked at him without understanding "What do you mean?"

"When a person is important to you, you establish a bond with that person."

"Bond? What's a "bond"? "

"A bond is a link between two people. Even if you are separated from that person, even if it disappears you will always be connected" Naruto explained.

Sasuke seemed lost in thought. Naruto knew that in his first life, Sasuke had dedicated himself to despise and break all the bonds he had created, considering them a nuisance in his search for power and need for vengeance. The only bond which he had clung to was of hatred.

"I had a teacher..." said Naruto. "He was amazing and taught me many things. He also helped me a lot and I liked him as if he was my grandpa. But one day, he died and I was very sad. But then I realized he never left me... as long as I remember him and the moments we spent together, he will not fade and he will always stay with me" Naruto grabbed Sasuke's face in his hands. "_That_ is a bond."

"A bond..." the child repeated, trying to understand what Naruto had said."And we have one too? A bond? "

Naruto nodded.

"Where is it?" Sasuke asked while looking at his body.

"A bond cannot be seen" Naruto said laughing. "It's something that you feel" Naruto put his hand on Sasuke's chest. "Here!"

"The heart?" Sasuke placed a hand on Naruto's.

"Yes... If you think of me, I'll never leave your heart."

"I don't know if I get it..." Sasuke said, slowly. "It's hard..."

Naruto stroked his raven hair "You'll understand one day, when you're older."

"Papa? "

"What?"

"Can I sleep with you?"

"Sure!"

Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the neck and kissed his cheeks, trying to demonstrate his affection for his father. The toddler felt suddenly sad for Akuma. The black kitty didn't have a bond with anyone… which was very sad. Who would want to spend his life all alone?

* * *

_Konohagakure_

After another diplomatic mission, Temari was ready to return home.

The young 23 year old kunoichi enjoyed traveling, especially to Konoha. It was a very different village from Sunagakure, with their large colorful buildings and huge fresh trees. However, her village would always be her home.

Temari would have preferred to leave after the shops had opened to buy some candy for herself and her brothers. But this wasn't possible and they wouldn't any gifts this time.

It was wonderful to be so close now. It had taken some time but the Sand Siblings had become a true family celebrating birthdays, eating together, making dinner together, work and have fun together.

Thanks to Naruto and Gaara.

Temari could never thank Naruto enough for what he had done for her family. He saved her brother twice. And Gaara worked harder than anyone to change and become a person instead of the weapon that their father wanted to develop.

After the Konoha ninjas were gone when they saved Gaara, the three had returned to the Kazekage's Mansion where Temari, after years repressing, finally broke like glass.

Right after they were alone, Temari turned her back to her brothers and began yelling at them that they had scared to her to death and never to repeat it. Then she started to bawl like a little girl and hugged Gaara. The boy had been hesitant on how to react to that unusual situation but eventually, very slowly, he hugged her back. Kankuro simply laughed and they ended up sleeping in the hallway until Baki found them.

After four years, Temari thought they had improved their relationship, and when she got home, she would drag Gaara from his office and they would have dinner the three together.

"I see you're already leaving"

Temari looked ahead and noticed Nara Shikamaru, leaning against a wall watching the clouds in the morning sky.

"Have you come to say goodbye to me?" Temari said with a sly smile. "You could be sleeping like you love so much."

"It's a drag, but my job is to accompany you in Konoha" Shikamaru pulled away from the wall and stared at the kunoichi. "I like doing my job well."

"Hmpf" Temari snorted, but accompanied him to the Konoha gates.

"I saw Kankuro two months ago" Shikamaru said. "Is it true that he will teach classes on puppetry?"

"He's the best specialist in Suna since Chiyo-baasama passed away. It's natural to want to teach the next generation. "

"Next generation, huh? We are all adults now..."

"It's true. Speaking of adults… have you heard from Naruto? "Temari asked curiously.

"He sends letters to Hokage-sama, but she says nothing from its contents."

"That's strange... I thought he was just traveling. Did she give him a secret mission? "

"Who knows? Gaara doesn't know anything, does he? Being Kazekage and all, maybe... "

"When we speak about Naruto he just shrugs and says he trusts him and believes that he is okay. He does not seem worried... "

"The Hokage too... But we can't all be as faithful as Gaara is in Naruto..."

Temari blinked. They had just arrived at the gates and moved a few meters.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Shikamaru looked around; making sure nobody was listening "The truth is that we have been looking for Naruto for some time."

"What? But the Hokage forbade... "

"Even our senseis are worried... Naruto would not travel without reason after have killed Sasuke. Even if I wanted to run away for a while, he would not be absent for three years. "

"I guess so. And how do you plan to find Naruto? "

"We've already had" said Shikamaru. "We heard eyewitnesses who saw him in the Land of Mountains and going towards west, to the Land of Sun. After this country only ocean exists, so Naruto has to be there."

"But that land is vast and has lots of cities."

"Naruto would not go to big cities, too many people coming and going who can speak about him. We believe he went to the smaller villages... we have three in mind: Hiatari, Yuubae and Nikkō.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it!**

**Hiatari means "sunny place".**

**Yuubae means "sunset glow".  
**


	18. Darkness from a Sad Heart

**Hi! This chapter is the biggest I have ever wrote, it was also very hard for me to write and I hope I did a good job with it.**

**When I was little, the monster I feared the most was the vampire, because if he bit me I would become an evil monster like him, I remember clearly that I would rather die than spend an eternity as one. **

**This chapter was slightly based on that experience... Enjoy!**

* * *

**Darkness from a Sad Heart**

悲しい心の底から闇 (_Kanashii kokoro no soko kara yami_)

Naruto walked slowly across the busy street, waving the old and new customers and greeting acquaintances. Sasuke wanted to walk, so he marched beside his father, holding his hand.

Sora appeared next to a florist, sitting in the stairs. Seeing them, the monk stood up and smiled to his friend.

"'Morning!" Sora greeted.

"Yo?" Naruto replied. "You came early."

Sora came up to Naruto "I like to start the day early. I've been talking with the mayor and I'm ready to start working. Hmm?" the monk noticed the raven haired child, who immediately hid behind Naruto's legs. "Is that your kid?"

Naruto smiled and turned to the toddler.

"Sasuke... This is my friend" Naruto said. "You want to greet him?"

Sora knelt down and looked at the timid child.

"So you're Naruto's son? I'm Sora, nice to meet you."

Sora handed his hand. Slowly, Sasuke placed out a small, pale skinned hand to shake the young monk's much larger hand.

"Hajimemashite, Sora-san" the boy greeted. "I'm Sasuke"

"Sasuke, huh? Are you going to the nursery school?" Sora asked.

Sasuke nodded.

"We better hurry, or Izumi-sensei will get mad at us" Naruto said. "Meet you in the village's square, Sora."

"I'm there! Nice to meet you Sasuke" Sora said, disappearing through the crowd.

The young monk was surprised with the child. He thought the kid would be a mini Naruto, annoying and hyperactive, but Sasuke was very different. The boy was cute and polite... very shy too. Physically, he looked nothing like Naruto.

_"__He must take after his mother then"_ Sora thought.

But he had to admit, the kid and Naruto looked like a real family. Naruto revealed himself to be a good father.

* * *

Sasuke liked to play in the sandbox. It was fun to build castles, bridges and moats. Sometimes he even made sand monsters. An image that insisted to appear on his head was that of a giant raccoon filling a forest with sand, but that was silly. Who would be scared of a sand raccoon?

That morning, Sasuke was the only one in the sandbox. His other classmates were scattered across the playground, playing other games. But Sasuke didn't mind playing alone, that way, he could make a very big castle!

A cry was heard by the swings. A four year old girl had fallen on the floor and had skinned both arms and both knees. All the senseis ran to her and asked her if she was okay, but the girl just cried. Many kids were curious when they heard that she was bleeding and went to see her.

Sasuke also felt curious and wanted to sneak, but if he got out of the box another kid could come in and destroy his castle... And the castle was getting so cool. It looked like one of the castles of the emperors that his father showed him in a book.

"Meow!"

The black-haired boy turned around. Akuma was there! The kitten was by the forest bushes and chasing a little brown mouse.

"Akuma!" Sasuke shouted, but the cat ignored him and continued to pursue its prey. But the mouse disappeared among the foliage.

Akuma continued to smell the trail that the mouse had left in the ground and stood by the bushes. Sasuke forgot his castle and ran to the fence, sticking his little fingers through the wire.

"Akuma! Don't go there!" the child yelled.

The black cat turned and stared at Sasuke with his usual haughty attitude.

"Don't go to the forest! It's dangerous!"

But Akuma turned his back, jumped into the bushes and disappeared.

"Akuma!" Sasuke called worried. "Akuma, don't go!"

For some time, he didn't hear a single noise except the sound of leaves and the occasional song of a bird. Until...

"MEEEEOOOOOOWWW!"

Sasuke felt the hairs rise on the back of his head. The cry was Akuma's!

"Akuma! Akuma!"

The cry stopped and the forest was silent again. Sasuke waited, hoping that the black kitten could come out again; perhaps it was nothing... maybe he was just a little hurt or felt frustrated for losing his lunch.

"Akuma? Akuma, are you there?" the child asked.

Time went by but Akuma never showed up. Sasuke felt his legs shaking... Monsters! The monsters had caught Akuma!

Sasuke continued to stare at the trees in the forest. The wind made the branches creak and a black crow flew into the sky, cawing. The child stared at the hole in the net...

"Akuma..." Sasuke muttered. He could not leave the kitten there alone, he had to save him. "I'm going, Akuma!"

Without anybody seeing him, Sasuke got to the hole in the net and went through it, tearing a piece of his jersey that became stuck to the metal wire. The boy continued and went through the bushes, trembling with fear.

"Akuma? Akuma, are you there?" Sasuke Asked.

After the bushes, there were more dark and scary trees. The trunks were very thick, the roots came out of the ground like tentacles and the foliage was so broad that there were almost no sunshine. Sasuke continued to move through the tall grass and rocks, very slowly and always searching for Akuma.

Or for the monsters...

"Akuma! Akuma! "

He couldn't see the black cat anywhere. Also he didn't hear any sound... not even birds. The forest was dead silent.

The child turned away from a particularly large tree and tripped on one of its roots, falling on top of weeds and dirtying his hands and clothes with dirt.

"Ow..." Sasuke groaned, putting himself on all fours and looking forward.

He then finally spotted Akuma. The kitten was lying on the high grass.

"Akuma!" Sasuke yelled, getting up and awkwardly approaching the cat.

Sasuke was surprised when he realized that Akuma didn't budge. The black kitten was lying on the floor, with his legs stretched forward. His mouth was half-open, showing his white and sharp teeth. The child came near the cat and shook it.

"Akuma? Akuma?"

As much as Sasuke shook him, the kitten would not budge. The three year old child didn't realize that the animal's chest didn't rise nor fell, or that he was unable to feel his heart beating... or that his mouth wasn't inhaling air.

Sasuke didn't understand that Akuma was dead.

"Akuma! Akuma wake up! Let's go home!" Sasuke continued to call.

The boy was so focused on the cat that did not notice the movement among the grass. The creature slipped between the plants and bit the child's calf.

"Arhh..." Sasuke cried quietly, immediately starting to shake. His black eyes stared at the white snake, with its teeth in still in his leg until it let go and disappeared again.

Sasuke fell to the ground. He could not stop shaking and could not move his legs or arms. The pain spread from the leg to the rest of his body and he felt more and more cold.

"Aaaah! Aaaah! Aaaah! "Sasuke groaned.

The pain was unbearable. His heart beat wildly against his ribs, he had trouble breathing and his skin felt cold with sweat. His stomach started to turn and Sasuke felt like vomiting.

"Aaah! Aaah! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" the child screamed when an incredible headache made him feel dizzy.

Sasuke's vision became blurred. Before he lost consciousness, the boy heard voices in his head.

"_**Sasuke, were you planning to kill Naruto? Why must you insist upon being superior? Chidori is not a move to be used on someone from the same village. Why did you act so childish?"**_

"_**Don't do this, Sasuke-kun, you don't have to be alone. You told me that day how painful solitude can be. I understand that pain now. I have a family, and friends, but, if you were gone, Sasuke-kun, it would be the same thing for me. **__**As being all alone."**_

_**"**__**It always hurts my heart to melt a good-looking guy... But you're going to have to die.**__**"**_

"_**Foolish little brother, if you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me. And yet survive in an unsightly way. Run, run and cling to life."**_

_**"**__**You need to have patience if you want to achieve your goal.**__**"**_

_**"**__**You think you're so cool! And those eyes make me sick! Always judging me... and my art! You have no appreciation of the beauty of my work... and it makes me want to kill you!**__**"**_

"_**Sasuke... Forget about revenge."**_

_**"**__**If you attack Konoha... I will have to fight you... so save up your hatred and take it all on me... I'm the only one who can take it! It's the only thing I can do! I will shoulder your hatred and die with you! Because I'm your friend!**__**"**_

_**"**__**For the sake of the ninja world, for Konoha I cannot let you live.**__**"**_

_**"**__**I float...like a butterfly. And sting like a bee! 'Cause I'm the Eight-Tailed Beast!**__**"**_

"_**It**__** had already been decided that the moment you abandoned the village, you would become our new leader. Please forgive the rudeness we displayed earlier."**_

_**"**__**I can't let you die... You're all I have left to remember Kimimaro.**__**"**_

_**"**__**No matter how far Orochimaru fell, he still loved him... Now I know how the Third Hokage felt.**__**"**_

_**"You're quite a lady's man, aren't you Sasuke?"**_

_**"**__With that vision of yours, and chakra more ominous than my own... You're the spitting image of Uchiha Madara__****__ from the elder days..._"

"_**I**__** don't care if you are one of the legendary Sannin, the great shinobi of legend, I swear take one more step towards Sasuke and one of us will die here!**__**"**_

_**"**__**Cower in awe! Cry your heart out! Because my art... is an EXPLOSION!**__**"**_

_**"**__**You and I are flesh and blood. I'm always going to be there for you, even if it's only as an obstacle for you to overcome. Even if you do hate me. That's what big brothers are for.**__**"**_

_**"**__**How impressive. A thousand foes stand before you and you don't even bat an eyelid."**_

_**"**__**Someone who can't even save a friend isn't fit to become Hokage... **__**Isn't that right... Sasuke?**__**"**_

"Pa... Papa..."

The last thing he saw was a ghostly vision of a snake man smiling at him evilly.

* * *

Naruto and Sora worked well despite the constant bickering. It was good to talk to a friend, and Naruto was having fun while competing with the monk.

"It's almost lunchtime," Sora said, stretching his aching and tired arms. "How about a break?"

"Huh? You're getting tired, Sora? You have gone soft..."

"Idiot! I never get soft! I can still keep up for three hours! "

"I'll keep up for four more hours!"

Both their stomachs snorted, making them blush with shame.

"Maybe... a little snack won't do any harm..." Naruto muttered, not wanting to stare Sora in the eyes.

"Yeah... maybe just a soup..."

The two friends jumped over a wall and began to proceed quickly to the nearest restaurant. When they arrived, Sora sat at a table outdoors and began to read the menu while Naruto took off his coat.

"Uzumaki-san!" one woman shouted, running down the street.

Naruto recognized her was one of the nursery's employees. And she seemed very concerned.

With a leap, Naruto went to her. The woman was panting but able to speak.

"Uzumaki-san... An accident happened... Sasuke-kun..."

Naruto felt his body tensing and he grabbed the woman by the shoulders.

"Sasuke? What happened to Sasuke?"

"He fled to the woods behind the nursery... When he was found he was unconscious... he was bitten by a snake..."

Naruto had his heart pounding with panic. He could not believe it! Sasuke was...

"Where is he?" Naruto asked, almost yelling.

"Izumi took him to hospital."

Naruto jumped to the nearest roof and ran as fast as he could to the village's hospital. When he entered the glass doors, he went immediately to the ER reception but he didn't need to request information. A nurse, with whom he had worked for, took him immediately to a white hall. A door with the red signal was on, meaning that an operation was taking place.

In one of the wooden benches, Izumi-sensei cried softly with a scarf covering her face. Seeing Naruto she stood up, wiped her tears, and stared at the ninja filled with concern and regret.

"Uzumaki-san... I... brought Sasuke-chan as soon as I could... I'm so sorry ..."

"Will Sasuke be ok? Where is he?"

Izumi pointed to the door down the hall.

"The doctors took him to do a blood test and try to prevent the poison from spreading throughout the body... They still haven't said anything since we came..."

Naruto buried his face in his hands and sat on the bench. He felt his throat dry and his legs trembling due to terror.

Izumi stood up. She didn't feel worthy of approaching Naruto as she was responsible for Sasuke and failed.

"What..." Naruto sobbed. "What happened?"

"During recess... one of the children hurt herself on the swings. While we were busy taking care of with her, Sasuke-chan escaped through a hole in the fence... we hadn't had time to fix it. When I called the kids... I noticed that Sasuke-chan was gone. We called for him but nothing. Then I noticed that a piece of his shirt was in the fence's hole and I ran to the forest... it was then that I found him. He was unconscious, moaning and having seizures. Beside him was a black cat... dead. "

Naruto remembered the black kitten with which Sasuke wanted to be friends with. Finally he understood what had happened; Sasuke had gone after the cat.

"You know what snake bit him?"

"I didn't see the snake anywhere... it disappeared..." Izumi began to cry. "Oh my God... Oh my God..."

Half hour later, Naruto told Izumi to return to the nursery. The other children needed her and there was nothing she could do for Sasuke. Sora came by and made Naruto company.

Finally, a doctor with a gray ostentatious beard left the room and turned to Naruto, who rose immediately.

"Are you the father?" the doctor asked.

"Yes ... How is he? Is he gonna be okay?" Naruto asked.

The doctor looked exhausted but struggled to stand firm.

"We believe the boy was bitten by an unknown snake species," the doctor explained. "We tried all our antivenins, but without results. The boy's blood pressure is getting higher and he does not stop squirming. We are going to try to create an antivenom from his blood... is the only thing we can do right now. "

Naruto took a hand to his head and leaned against the wall. Never wanted to have Tsunade with him so badly like at that moment... if Sasuke died, he...

"There's a strange thing..." the doctor continued. Naruto turned to face him. "The boy seems to be having hallucinations... he keeps talking nonsense. He's also always grabbing his neck... but he was bitten in the leg. "

Naruto opened his eyes in disbelief. He remembered the Chuunin exams perfectly; when Sasuke writhed in pain due to Orochimaru's bite.

The day Team 7's fate was changed forever...

A yell came from the infirmary. The doctor and Naruto ran into the room just in time to see two nurses trying to keep hold of Sasuke, who squirmed in his hospital bed, screaming hysterically.

The doctor went to the child and tried to examine him, but Sasuke started kicking everything he touched, always with one hand grasping his neck.

The same place where the Cursed Seal had been.

"Sasuke..." Naruto whispered, feeling pinned by the door.

"No! Stop! No!" Sasuke shouted, scratching a nurse's face of with his free hand. "Go away! Don't come any closer! "

Naruto got out of his torpor and proceeded towards his son, although a nurse tried stopping him. With both hands, he grabbed Sasuke and pressed him against his chest. The child continued to shudder and scratched Naruto's neck, but he did not quit. Instead, he turned to the doctor.

"Doctor... is there venom that affects the brain?"

"There are many... but what...?"

"Are there any cases of a poison that creates painful visions...?"

The doctor opened his eyes and nodded in understanding.

"Yes there is... I'll look this up and try to create the antivenom. Uzumaki-san... it is best for you to leave. We'll give him a sedative. "

Naruto shook his head, trying to keep the child quiet.

"I think I can calm him down. Give me a chance, doctor! "

"Uzumaki-san..."

"Please..."

The doctor looked at the ninja for a few seconds but nodded.

"Very well... leave them alone" the doctor ordered the nurses.

Sora looked at Naruto in the doorway and the latter waved his head. The monk also nodded and left the room. Naruto was left alone with Sasuke still screaming, scratching his skin and kicking him in the belly.

The blond laid in bed, always clinging to Sasuke. One of the scratches and was bleeding profusely and stained their clothes and sheets. Naruto didn't let go of Sasuke, even when the toddler poked his fingernails on his face. Naruto knew exactly what horrors the boy was reliving.

"Sasuke! It's okay" Naruto yelled. "You're safe! Nobody will hurt you! "

"Leave me alone! Go away!" the child cried, grabbing his neck with both hands. "Ahh! Aaah! Aaaah! "

"Sasuke!"

"Oro... Orochimaru ..." Sasuke groaned.

"I knew it..." Naruto muttered. "Sasuke! He cannot hurt you! You're strong and I'm here! "

Naruto continued hugging Sasuke, knowing that the boy was trapped in a world of dark echoes from his past.

* * *

_Sasuke was alone in a dark world._

_There were dark waters around him, dangling around his ankles. But he couldn't see anything else... just water and a black sky._

"Where...? Where am I?"_ the boy moaned._

_"How disappointing, Sasuke-kun__..." a squeaky and cold voice whispered._

"Who's there?"

_Sasuke felt something crawling beside him and cried. __It was snakes. Thousands of black snakes, sliding around him and merging together to form a human figure: a very pale man with black hair with a very cruel smile._

_"You thought that you were strong, was it not Sasuke-kun?_

_"_Who are you?" _Sasuke asked._

_A vision overlai__d the black world. Sasuke saw the same man next to a burnt tree with a scroll in his hand._

_"My name is Orochimaru. If you wish to see me again, complete the examination as if your life depended on it. In other words, you will have to win against my subordinates. The three sound ninjas. "_

_Sasuke's head ached. He couldn't understand those visions and snake man's words didn't make any sense..._

_A voice came next to Sasuke, along with another vision... a pink haired girl._

_"What are you talking about? We don't want to see you ever again."_

_Sasuke grabbed his head when a new wave pain and nausea overcame him. Those visions and voices were not his. He just wanted them to fade away._

"Leave me alone... I wanna go home. Leave me alone... "

_The black world __vanished and returned several times, replaced by more frightening visions and voices that Sasuke had never heard in his life. He didn't know those people, why was he seeing them?_

_In both __visions, the snake man... Orochimaru ... stretched his huge neck towards Sasuke. The boy wanted to escape but his body was paralyzed and powerless, the monster came and bites him in the neck. Sasuke screamed in pain and grabbed the wound._

_Beside him, the vision of the girl came up again and she shouted. _

"_Sasuke-kun...You! What have you done to Sasuke-kun?"_

_Orochimaru looked at Sasuke._

"_I just gave him a little parting gift. Very soon, Sasuke-kun will seek me out. He'll desire my power. In the meantime, I enjoyed the demonstration of the powers you already possess" Orochimaru hissed._

"Go away!"

"_You __are just like me Sasuke-kun... You wish power more than anything. Your soul and your heart are as black as mine. "_

_Sasuke saw confusing images and unfamiliar voices. A man with a mask covering his face, a blond boy, a man with glasses, a man with an orange mask..._

_But what troubled the child most were the blood visions... so much blood._

_"You are a monster, Sasuke-kun."_

"No ... That's not true ..."

_"Look at yourself then__..."_

_Sasuke looked at his reflection in dark waters. From where Orochimaru had bitten him, pitch-black spots emerged and spread through his body. His left eye became yellow and black. Like a demon's…_

"No... NO!"

_Sasuke found himself killing people. He saw a girl say__ing that she loved him and he replied that she was annoying. He saw a blond boy chasing him. He was killing a redhead girl and an old man. He saw a pale man smiling at him before falling to the ground dead._

"STOP!"

_Sasuke also heard voices talking, but he could understand them. He didn't know those people.__ He didn't know those voices._

_**"**__**You have the same eyes as I do... the eyes, filled with hatred and death, that long for strength... just like mine... your eyes tell me how badly you wish to kill the one who put you through the hell called loneliness."**_

"Stop it!"

"_**Sasuke-kun! I'm so in love with you I can't even stand it! If you would only be with me, I promise, I'd never let you regret it. Every day would be a joy. I can give you happiness! I'd do anything for you, Sasuke-kun, so please! I'm begging you, don't walk away! I'll even help you get your revenge! I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen, I swear! So stay here... with me... and if you can't... Take me with you, Sasuke-kun."**_

"Shut… Shut up! I don't wanna hear this!"

"_**Well, I've seen a lot of people like you, and the fate of those who seek revenge is grim. It's tragic. You will end up suffering and hurting yourself even more. Even if you do succeed in getting revenge, the only thing that remains is emptiness."**_

"I don't understand…"

_**"**__**You may have the same eyes as your brother, but you perceive things differently. You do not value Itachi's sacrifice. Instead you just throw your anger at anything and everything. You have wasted the Uchiha clan's sacrifice.**__**"**_

"Please… Please stop…"

_Sasuke didn'__t want more visions. They were all so dark and cold. So scary. Sasuke felt disturbing feelings and the eagerness to kill everyone, a hatred so intense it made his head ache, he felt superior to everyone and felt he did not need anybody. He was better off alone... forever._

"I'm not like that! I'm not like that! "

_He was alone. He didn't__ need anybody. Friendships were for wimps who need protection... his purpose was revenge. They would all feel his hatred! All of them would die!_

"THAT'S NOT ME!"

_The __sinister feelings were so strong that Sasuke thought he was going to die just for experiencing them. He felt angry, arrogant and cruel! But lonely... he felt so alone._

_It was then __that he saw them. Strings ... many blue lighted strings came out of his chest and joined many people's hearts. Sasuke knew that these people were friendly and cared about him... they were attached to him by that connection._

_Bonds__ ... Those were the bonds he had with those people._

_"Losers! You're all losers..." Sasuke said with contempt._

"What?"

_Sasuke realized that some of the __strings became thinner._

"_My days of playing ninja with you kids of the Leaf Village are done" Sasuke said with the same cold and haughty voice tone._

"I don't... I didn't mean this..."

_Sasuke groaned when some of the __strings broke and faded. The people, whose faces he could not distinguish, stared him with cold and hurt eyes before disappearing._

"Wait! I didn't mean it! "

_But the words kept coming out of Sasuke's mouth. He spoke again with the same voice that was not even his. The voice that came from his lips was deeper, like an adult's._

_"Do you think I need your friendship? Your love? How pathetic!"_

_More strings__ were severed. More people looked at Sasuke filled with hatred and contempt for his cruel words and left. Sasuke wanted to ask them to come back, that it was a mistake. He couldn't control his mouth!_

"I'm not the one talking! This isn't me!"

_"My __goal is in the darkness. I do not need weaklings around me to distract me from my goals! Get out of my sight! "_

_The strings continued to break as more people gave up on Sasuke and went away. The toddler was terrified and wanted to stop... but it was like a monster was living inside his body, controlling him. The monster was transforming Sasuke into someone like him._

"_I__ don't need a future with any of you."_

_Finally,__ only three people remained. Sasuke knew that they were very special to him... precious. Those people loved him._

_Yet__, the monster spoke again._

_"Get lost! __I don't need you! You're nothing but pathetic weaklings who dare to get in my way. I hate you! "_

"No... I don't hate..."

_The __strings became even thinner. Sasuke felt his heart heavy and filled with pain._

"Don't go... Please, I want you to stay... Don't leave me."

_But the __dark monster was too strong and spoke through Sasuke again._

_"I'll kill you! I'll kill you all! I'm so anxious to kill you that I'm shaking with excitement! If only you knew how much I hate you... I HATE YOU! I WISH I HAD NEVER MET YOU!"_

_Two of the strings were severed and the people have also vanished. Sasuke wanted to cry but the tears wouldn't come. His chest was tense with pain... these people were dear to him, he loved them and they were gone, because of what he had said..._

_One person remained in the dark with him. The string that bound them still shone as brightly as in the beginning. Sasuke could not understand why... after all the horrible things he had said, why was that person still there with him?_

"Who... who are you?"

_The person__... a boy, he was a boy, was smiling at him kindly. Sasuke felt that the boy understood him and cared about him. That boy was very special to him._

"_So__ it's you, hopeless little knucklehead" the dark monster scoffed._

_The boy continued to smile and approached Sasuke, but an electricity wave left the raven's body and hit the other boy, throwing him into the air and making him fall several feet away._

_"Come to think of it, wasn't it your dream to become the Hokage? If you had the time to be chasing after me, you should've spent that time training or something" the monster said with a grimace.  
_

_The boy stood up slowly, full of wounds that __Sasuke's __lightning had caused him. But he never stopped smiling and still tried to approach him._

"Why? I hurt you... "

_The monster laughed, fi__lled with scorn and contempt for the boy._

"_Like__ I already told Sakura, it's over. Just leave me alone. "_

_The boy continued to move forward, leaving a trail of blood in the water._

_"Wake up before it's too late!" the boy said._

"_I__ have woken up, don't you see? That guy who dreamed of a happy future full of peace and friendship, he was the one who was asleep. That's why I left the village. That's why I've gone in search of power. It's not the future I dream of any more, only the past. That's where my dream lies" the monster said and launched another lightning against the other boy._

_The boy screamed in pain and was __even more injured; a trickle of blood ran down his mouth. But, once again, he moved forward._

_Sasuke felt a mixture of bewilderment and confusion. He couldn't understand... that boy was so hurt. Why didn't he just leave? _

_"Why? Why would you go this far for me?" the monster asked, also confused and surprised._

"_This__ is one of the first bonds I've ever had. That's why I'll stop you!" the boy said, approaching him even more._

_The __(blond?) boy was determined. Sasuke could see it clearly in his blue eyes..._

"Those eyes..."

"_Come__, Naruto! If that's how it is, I'll just have to sever that bond" the monster said, ready to pounce._

_Naruto__..._

_The boy threw himself against Sasuke and managed to stay upright despite several lightning hit him. The blond boy was seriously injured but didn't give up and moved towards Sasuke, extending a hand for him to grab._

_"What the hell__ are you?" the monster asked._

_The blond boy smiled._

"_Y__our friend!" and handed him a hand._

_Sasuke stared at his hand and at blond boy's friendly smile. Very slowly, Sasuke also raised a hand and gave him a handshake._

_T__he blond boy's hand of was so warm... so familiar..._

_Suddenly the monster re-emerged. With his other hand, he grabbed the blonds' neck and lifted him into the air. The boy's blue eyes were filled with shock and sadness..._

"_I__ told you, it's too late, Naruto!" the monster growled and, with the hand which he had gave a handshake seconds earlier, pierced the boy's chest._

_The blond boy began to bleed from the wound and from his mouth; his blue eyes were blank and filled with sorrow because of that betrayal. Tears ran down his whiskered cheeks, mingling with the blood._

_The blond boy was dying._

_Naruto... Uzumaki Naruto._

"Papa?"

_The monster laughed __with disdain and drooped Naruto into the black waters, which swallowed him until he disappeared._

"Papa? Papa! NO!"

_In the w__aters, Sasuke saw his reflection. And he saw a monster._

* * *

Naruto continued rocking Sasuke, but the child would not stop squirming.

"Come on, Sasuke! I know you can win this!" Naruto exclaimed.

The sound of the machines was frantic because Sasuke's heart rate was too accelerated and his blood pressure was getting higher.

"Oro... Orochimaru ..." Sasuke repeated.

"He can't have you! Not this time! I won't lose you this time. "

Sasuke grabbed his neck and he shouted again.

"Sasuke!"

"Cursed… Cursed Seal..." the child stammered. Naruto realized that Sasuke was watching the echoes of his erased memories... confused records that should be terrifying for a three year old child. "Power... revenge..."

_"Shit! Why tho__se memories?"_ Naruto thought.

Sasuke's hands dropped his neck and clung to Naruto's chest.

"Relax... It'll be alright, Sasuke. Try to wake up!"

"Go away!" Sasuke yelled. "Leave me alone! Go away! "

"No! I won't go away! Never again! I'll stay with you no matter what happens! Whether you like it or not! Never tell me go away again! "

Sasuke continued to have seizures, but stopped kicking and waving. His eyelids were tightly closed and his face twisted with pain.

"I would do anything to save you from that suffering, Sasuke... I don't know what to do..." Naruto groaned, starting to feel powerless over the situation.

Naruto realized that Sasuke had started to cry. Several tears ran down his pale face and the boy began to sob. The pain expression was also filled with great sorrow.

"I... I didn't mean to..." the toddler moaned.

Naruto opened his eyes with astonishment. As he moved slightly from Sasuke, the child clung to him fiercely.

"No! Don't leave me..." Sasuke whimpered. "Don't go..."

Naruto hugged Sasuke harder.

"I won't leave you. I'm here and not going anywhere. "

"I'm not like that..." Sasuke continued to moan and cry. "I don't wanna be alone..."

Naruto felt his eyes watering as well.

"You're not alone, Sasuke" Naruto said.

"Bonds ... severed bonds... I'm alone..."

"You never severed our bonds. You're not alone, teme! "

"Na... Naruto..." Sasuke whispered.

Naruto was stunned; Sasuke was seeing echoes of him.

_"Maybe... Maybe this will work__..."_ the blond thought, hoping not to be making things worse.

"I said I'm not letting you go to Orochimaru! That's why I said I'd break your arms and legs if I had to! I'm never gonna give up on you! Don't think I'll leave you alone, teme!"

"Naruto... Naruto..." Sasuke sobbed. "Papa..."

"Sasuke?"

"Papa... Papa... I want Papa…"

Sasuke was coming to his senses. Memories of his present were mixing with the erased ones.

"I'm here with you, son. Papa is right here... You're not alone" Naruto said gently, placing a hand on the child's chest."Do you feel it now? Our bond? "

* * *

_Sasuke knelt and h__ugged himself. He was a monster... he was a horrible monster like the snake man._

_And he killed his most precious person._

"Papa... Papa..."_ the child cried._

_The monster roared with contempt. He didn't mind being alone ... it was better! He didn't need anybody._

"I'm alone... I don't wanna be alone."

"_No__ matter what darkness lies ahead, I will pursue this path. Whatever happens, I will obtain power... Even if I become a monster."_

"I wanna go home... I don't wanna stay in the dark anymore."

_The monster remained silent, stuck __in his own feelings of superiority and greed. He had to pay a price for his power._

"Papa... I want my Papa..."

_The monster also fe__lt sad. He felt... empty._

_"What do I do now? I'm already strong... I got rid of them all. What do I do now? "_

_The monster felt panic._

_"I already have everything, what I do now? What is my goal now?"_

_The monster also cried._

_"Who am I now?"_

_A light appeared in the distance. Sasuke raises his head slightly to see it._

_The boy was back. He was hurt and exhausted but was back and alive. Naruto was alive..._

"Papa?"

_Naruto moved against the lightning barrier involving Sasuke like a dome. With both __his hands, he tried to break the barrier._

_"Sasuke! I'll take you out of there" yelled Naruto._

_The lightning barrier injured even more Naruto's hands, but he didn't stop. The monster remained quiet, but his hatred for the blonds' insistence didn't disappear._

_"What? What the fuck is wrong with you? Why do you care so much about me?"_

_Naruto managed to open the barrier and went inside the dome._

_"Because you're my friend" he said._

_A crack opened in the black ceiling and a shine of light illuminated them. As Naruto advanced towards Sasuke, the cracks continued to appear._

_Sasuke finally noticed the bright string that united their two hearts. The bond hadn't been severed after all..._

_Naruto began to run and hugged Sasuke tightly. The monster was confused... He couldn't get that blond boy, or that bright and warm feeling that surrounded him._

_T__he cracks kept appearing and the darkness disintegrated like dark glass. Light enveloped them and all those sinister thoughts and feelings vanished._

_When the two __boys entwined their index finger and middle finger, the monster gave into the warmth with a tear running down his face._

* * *

About 8 am, the sun came through the thin hospital curtains, illuminating the bed. Sasuke narrowed his eyes with the light and opened them slowly. When his vision became clearer, he noticed that Naruto was lying next to him still asleep.

The child looked at his right hand and noticed that their index finger and middle finger were still entwined.

Sasuke turned to stare at Naruto.

"Papa?" the toddler asked.

Naruto narrowed his eyes but eventually opened them, seeing two onyx eyes fixed on him.

"Good morning, Papa" Sasuke greeted with a small smile.

Naruto remembered the events of the previous day and fell off the bed.

"Ow!" The blond groaned, massaging his neck. "Damn! What a pain!"

"Papa! You okay? "Sasuke asked, trying to get up, but every muscle in his body ached.

Naruto stood up and stared wide-eyed at Sasuke. The boy was still very pale and looked sickly, but he had awoken. _He was awake!_

"Papa?"

Naruto hugged Sasuke tightly and tried to suppress his tears. He felt so relieved...

"Yokatta! Yokatta, Sasuke! "Naruto exclaimed, clasping the child against his chest. "Thank Goodness!"

Feeling his father's familiar warmth, Sasuke began to cry and hugged him back.

"I was scared..." the child whimpered."It was dark and cold... I was alone."

Naruto sat up in bed with his son on his lap, like when he was a baby.

"It's ok... You're safe now..."

"I saw... I saw a snake man... he was a monster... he said I was gonna be a monster too... I don't wanna be a monster..."

"You're not a monster, Sasuke."

"I was gonna be a monster... my neck hurt... then I started to say very mean things to my friends... I was very mean... and they went away and left me... I didn't wanna them to go..."

Naruto uncovered Sasuke's left shoulder "See? You don't have anything. It's is gone, you'll be fine. "

Sasuke noticed that the black mark that was not in his neck anymore, it had vanished. But then, he noticed the bloodstains on his hospital clothes and on his Daddy's clothes. With a sob, Sasuke became aware of the scratches on his father's face and neck, and looked at his little hands, full of blood between the nails.

"I hurt you ..." the child sobbed, horrified. "I hurt you ..."

Naruto looked at the scratches "Oh! This? It's only scratches; they will heal in no time. "

"I hurt you... I hurt Papa..."

"It's okay, Sasuke. Seriously, I'm fine. You were very sick, so..."

"Don't hate me... Please don't hate me..." Sasuke groaned.

"I don't hate you, son. Never!"

"Don't hate me... I love you so much, Papa. Don't go away... "

Naruto patted his back, as the sobbing child clung to his shirt.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sasuke." Naruto forced Sasuke to look him in the eyes. "I love you too."

"I saw... I saw the bond..." Sasuke muttered. "The others broke... but ours didn't."

"I told you we had a very strong one" Naruto said with a smile. "Nothing can break it."

Sasuke was feeling sick again and was afraid to fall asleep. He didn't want to see those frightening visions again or the monster.

"The monster inside me... he was mean and scary... but he was very sad too. He said he didn't want anyone but he was lonely" Sasuke said.

"Everyone has a monster hidden in their hearts, we have to defeat it to be happy" Naruto explained.

"And my monster? What happened to him?"

"What do you feel?"

Sasuke closed his eyes. He tried to feel the monster and its frightening visions, but he couldn't feel anything. Only his own memories.

"I think the monster is gone. Who was he?" the child asked, almost falling asleep.

"The darkness of a very sad heart" Naruto said. "But don't worry... the monster doesn't need to be sad anymore, so he turned into light."

With his father's arms around him, feeling his warmth and scent, Sasuke finally fell asleep with the sun's morning rays enlightening his smiling face.

* * *

When the doctor came back into the room, his attention was drawn directly to the machines that recorded Sasuke's the vital signs. All records were perfectly normal!

The doctor told Naruto that he needed to take some blood from the child whowas so tired that didn't even wake up. After the blood sample was examined, the doctor asked to speak privately with Naruto, so they went to the hall.

"Is there a problem, doctor?" Naruto asked, worried. "Sasuke is still in danger?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about..." the doctor said."We couldn't create an antidote against the venom of the snake that bit your child. However, the effects of the poison disappeared from his body on its own... it's a miracle. That child has produced his own antivenom! He became immune to it!"

Naruto remembered when Sakura tried to stab Sasuke with a poisoned kunai. Kakashi-sensei said that it would be of no use... because Orochimaru would have already made him immune to all poisons.

_"__Orochimaru's experiences saved his life today"_ Naruto thought. _"I never thought I'd be grateful to that son of a bitch..."_

"You do not seem very surprised" the doctor said.

"My son has a very strong body. Yet he still looks sick ..."

"He'll feel feeble for some time, so he'll have to stay in bed resting. The hallucinations that he saw are going to be harder to forget... he will be very needy and scared... it is normal for him to re-develop baby behaviors. Sasuke will need a lot of support. "

"I'll take care of him..." Naruto said. "I would like to ask you if you could give me the tests' results... I would like sending them to my village's doctor. She always treated Sasuke."

The doctor nodded and fetched the reports. Inside the room, Naruto heard a whimper and a cry.

"Papa? Papa, where are you? "

Naruto re-entered the room and Sasuke calmed down, raising his arms to be picked up as if he was a baby again. Naruto lay down beside him and Sasuke curled up against him, sucking his thumb.

* * *

**Just to make things clear: Sasuke can't remember his past! What Sasuke experienced were echoes, faint visons of erased memories from his brain. He may feel certain feelings regarding the visions but they are not his memories. They're as real to him as dreams, he might remember the visions as dreams or flashbacks, but not as his memories.**

**The human brain is the most mysterious organ.**

**My God! I had a lot of work trying to find out the quotes! Can you guess to which character they belong to? ^_^**

**Thanks for reading!**


	19. Best Friends

**Hello there! This chapter was kinda fun to write and I had a big laugh. I hope you enjoy it too.**

**Oh! And keep in mind that 3 year olds are usually very affectionate, when they want to ^_^**

**

* * *

**

**Best Friends**

親友 (_Shin'yū_)

_November 10 (three days later)_

Naruto awoke to the sound of sobbing coming from the next room. With his vision still blurred because of sleep, he barely noticed that it was a little past four in the morning.

"Mmmm..." he moaned has he got up and went to the bedroom next door.

Naruto turned on the light. Sasuke was under the covers, cooing and crying softly.

_"Another nightmare..."_ Naruto thought with pity, sitting on his son's bed. "Sasuke? You okay? "

Sasuke stopped cooing and became very quiet. Naruto blinked confused, usually the kid would have jumped from sheets and asked for a hug, but this time he was still silent.

"Sasuke? Can you come out under the covers? "

The child stood still and sobbed a few times.

"Come on son... I want to know why you're sad. Let me look at you, okay? "

Slowly, Sasuke pulled the blankets up and uncovered himself. The boy had wet the bed and buried his face in his hands with shame, sobbing.

"Ehh ... Sorry Papa... Unnhh... I'm sorry..." the child wailed, without the courage to stare at his father.

Naruto pulled his hands slowly; uncovering the boy's flushed face.

"It's okay" Naruto said with a reassuring smile. "You don't need to be afraid of me. Your Tou-chan also wet the bed as a kid" with his fingers, he wiped the tears from the toddler's eyes."Come on! Let's clean you up so you can go back to sleep, ok?"

"'kay..."

Naruto held Sasuke in his arms and took him to the bathroom. After undressing the child and throw the wet clothes to the laundry basket, Naruto landed him in the tub and washed his little body. Sasuke merely sniffed in silence and let his Daddy bathe him.

"You had another bad dream, huh?" the blond asked.

Sasuke nodded. Naruto grabbed the soap and started rubbing the child's legs and buttocks; Sasuke was still too young to feel embarrassed that his father was cleaning his tushie.

"If you want to tell me about the dream you can, all right? But if you don't want to, you do not have to tell me. "

Sasuke bowed while his father rubbed his back and tummy with a sponge.

"I saw snake man again..." the little boy confessed."He wants to take me away."

Naruto frowned. _Damn you, Orochimaru!_

"It's just a dream Sasuke... The snake man can't hurt you. He's not real. "

"I'm scawed..."

"I know. It's okay to be scared, but don't worry. The snake man will not come back. "

"Pwomise?" Sasuke asked. "Papa make monsters go away?"

"Sure! Papa will look after you."

Those days, it was normal for Sasuke to use an infantile speech, especially when he was afraid; it was comforting to behave like a baby around his Daddy because he knew that he wouldn't be mad at him. And Sasuke wanted his father to coddle him.

Naruto picked up the showerhead and took the soap from the toddler's body. Sasuke stood up and grabbed his father's nightshirt.

"Ne... Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"Huh?"

"Do you have nightmares about the people you saw in your dream at the hospital?"

Sasuke had told him about the visions, the voices and about the strangers who he had seen while he was unconscious. The boy didn't recognize any of the people and was afraid of those strangers who spoke with him in the dream.

"No..." the child replied. "Just the snake man."

"Ok, then."

Sasuke looked away and stared at his little hand, grabbing his father's shirt. The truth was that he quickly forgot the people from the bad dream. He could not remember how they looked like, nor their names or voices. Honestly, he didn't want to remember, those people were strangers to him. Except for his Daddy...

Sasuke could not forget the part of the dream where he grabbed his Papa by the neck and hurt his chest. The boy was very scared. He also found it strange that his father looked so young in the nightmare... the Papa he knew was tall and strong, mini Papa was a lot shorter and had a silly face.

Sasuke also remembered that he had been tall in the dream; he was taller than his father... he wanted to be big when he grew up, but in the dream it felt wrong.

Papa was big and Sasuke was little! That's how things were. He couldn't be bigger than his Papa.

"There! Bath over! "Naruto said with big grin, holding a bath towel.

Sasuke raised his arms in the air.

"Papa?" the toddler cried out.

"You want to be pampered, huh?" Naruto replied, wrapping the child in the towel and taking him in his arms. "Alright! I'll cosset you a little bit, gaki."

Sasuke hugged his father as he took him back to his room and dried him. He liked being little so his Papa would hold and hug him, like they fitted perfectly into each other's arms.

In the bad dream, his father was younger and Sasuke was older, like they were the same age, which was stupid. Papa was a grown-up! Sasuke didn't want him to be a little kid; he wanted his father to be big to take care of him and be his Papa. And Sasuke was not big, he was little boy! He wanted to grow up and become a big boy one day, but the "big boy Sasuke" he saw looked very mean and scary.

When Naruto went to get clean pajamas, Sasuke saw the bandages on his neck and felt really bad. He had hurt his father... the vision came up again in his head. It seemed so real that Sasuke could've sworn it had really happened. He remembered feeling his arm surrounded by lightning, his hand piercing his father's chest and blood... blood everywhere.

He remembered thinking that if he killed him, Sasuke would become more powerful.

Naruto approached Sasuke and began to unfold the pajamas. Although his father was talking to him, Sasuke could not take his eyes off Naruto's chest, remembering the big wound, on how his Daddy looked so sad and hurt… because of him.

The image of the monster came into his mind… A monster with long dark-blue hair, dark-gray skin and eyes, claws, a black star-shaped mark over the nose and two webbed-claw-shaped wings in his back.

_**"I'm more special than you!"**_

Naruto noticed that Sasuke was very quiet and still, with his black eyes fixed on his chest.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, touching him lightly on the shoulder. Sasuke shuddered and then, very slowly, looked at Naruto in the eye. "You okay?"

The boy simply stared at him, with an absent expression. Naruto was concerned; Sasuke was white as a sheet.

"Are you feeling sick again? Wanna puke? "Naruto asked, kneeling on the floor to be eye level with the child.

Instead of answering, Sasuke gently touched the white bandages around Naruto's neck with his little hands.

"Oh? Are you thinking about the scratch? "Naruto asked, finally understanding."It's all better now" Naruto loosened the bandages, revealing a neck devoid of wounds. "See? Healed!"

But Sasuke couldn't soothe himself. Instead, he laid his hand on Naruto's chest, on the right... slightly beside the heart.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, somewhat confused.

Sasuke didn't take his eyes off Naruto's chest, imagining the scene from his dream, over and over again. He tried to convince himself that it was just a bad dream and that nothing had even happened, but something in his heart told him it had been real. His lip began to tremble and tears ran down his cheeks. Without thinking, he stroked his Papa's chest tenderly, as if trying to heal the wound he had seen.

Naruto stood still and let Sasuke caress his chest, not realizing what was going on. When the child started to shed tears silently, the blond was tempted to ask him what he had but, instead, he simply stared at the heartbreaking expression on Sasuke's face and let him continue. When the boy grabbed his shirt and tried to pull it, Naruto took it out, getting topless.

Sasuke looked at his father's torso carefully. Naruto asked himself what he would be looking for. When the child began to stroke the chest near the right collarbone, Naruto understood...

It was the spot where Sasuke had impaled him, seven years ago, with the Chidori, with the intention to pierce his heart.

* * *

_Sasuke's arm went through Naruto's chest from one side to another. The __red blood from the blond ninja stained them both and fell into the waters below them._

_"You kept me from __piercing your heart at the last second... but to no avail. I went through your right lung "Sasuke said, pulling his arm out and grabbing Naruto's jersey with his other hand."You can't use your right arm. Even breathing is difficult. You can no longer do seals or that jutsu."_

_With his __blood stained arm, Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the neck, more than willing to strangle him to get the power he sought after._

_Before Naruto's agony and sorrow__, Sasuke smiled wickedly._

* * *

With a gentle smile, Naruto landed a hand on Sasuke's head, hoping to ease him.

_"So that's what you __are worried about..."_ the ninja thought.

Sasuke merely stared at his father's reassuring smile, with tears still running down his face. It was almost as if his Daddy knew what he had dreamed, but wasn't angry or blamed him.

Filled with remorse, Sasuke threw himself into Naruto's arms and leaned his face against the place where he saw the wound in the dream, crying his eyes out.

Naruto grabbed the naked toddler and sat on the bed, covering him with the towel to prevent him from catching a cold. They were both like that for some time, until Sasuke got tired of crying. With one hand, Naruto took a tissue and wiped the tears from the child's face, then made him blow his nose.

Sasuke tried to see Naruto's back and he let him. The child saw that there was no wound, stab or scar. His father was fine.

"Let's put your pajamas, ok?" Naruto asked with his usual cheerful look.

Sasuke nodded slowly and let his father dress his t-shirt, a diaper (he could have another accident) and his pajama pants. However he could not help but feel horrible and guilty, even if his dream was not real.

Sasuke still felt he had betrayed and hurt Naruto. If his Papa ended up hating him, Sasuke wouldn't be able to endure it.

"Papa?" Sasuke asked, almost inaudibly.

"Yes?"

"If I make you a boo-boo... will you... hate me?" the child asked, staring at his hands.

Naruto smiled again and grabbed Sasuke by the armpits, holding him against his chest and taking him to his bedroom. He would change the sheets in the morning.

"I couldn't hate you even you broke all the bones in my body" Naruto replied, pulling the bed sheets and lying with Sasuke still leaning against each other.

"But... what if the boo-boo is too big? What if I say bad things and call you names? What if I run away? You won't love me anymore..." Sasuke asked. He couldn't understand how someone could still love him if he did all those awful things.

Naruto turned to Sasuke and rested his chin against his raven hair. He put his arm over the boy and pulled him against him.

"I can't hate you, Sasuke."Naruto answered.

Sasuke opened his eyes wide.

"Why?"

"Because you're my precious son!" the blond exclaimed. "Parents love their children no matter how mean they get… but try not to be very mean, ok?" Naruto grinned and kissed Sasuke on the forehead. "Don't worry about that. I want to see you happy and smiling. I love when you smile."

Although he couldn't understand why, Sasuke felt overwhelmed by feelings of shame, guilt, and regret... He had a sudden urge to apologize to Naruto and try to make things better. So he did it the only way a child asks for forgiveness and shows affection.

The little boy started kissing the imaginary wound, wishing with all his heart that this would help it to heal and erase the pain he saw in his Papa from the bad dream.

"_I'm so sorry I hurt you, Papa… I'm so sorry…" _

Naruto merely stroke his back and fell asleep.

Before falling asleep too, Sasuke felt a lot better. The boy kissed Naruto's cheek and slept peacefully.

His mind started to forget the visions again; they didn't belong to the little boy anymore. Soon, Uchiha Sasuke's remaining sinister feelings vanished, replaced by Uzumaki Sasuke's innocent and simple memories and emotions.

As his mind returned to his natural childlike state, all he felt now was a child's instinctive feelings of wanting to be near his parent, giving way to that simple and unconditional love.

* * *

The next morning, Naruto slept late. Since he brought Sasuke from the hospital he didn't go work and Sora had taken his place efficiently. That way, clients would not knock on his door asking him to do shores.

Since the village was small, Naruto also didn't need to inform anyone. The next day, everyone knew that the ninja's son had been bitten by a poisonous snake and miraculously survived.

Naruto woke up close to 10:30 in the morning when he felt his shoulder cold... he had fell asleep without his shirt. Sasuke was still sleeping, his breathing was regular and his small wrists were fisted on Naruto's chest, but he seemed serene and having no nightmares.

In recent days, Sasuke always looked tired and sleepy, partly because of the poison and because of his medication. But the boy was always scared to go to sleep fearing the "strangers," Orochimaru or the "monster", so he refused to fall asleep. Whenever he succumbed to slumber, he would wake up a few hours later, startled and screaming bloody murder.

When awake, Sasuke refused to eat and what little he ate always ended up throwing up. He didn't want to play or talk, he merely stared at nothing with a distant look on his face.

Naruto was accustomed to little sleep because of the missions, what troubled him was the terror expression in the child's face. From what Sasuke told him he'd had visions mainly about when Orochimaru had marked with the cursed seal and their battle in the Valley of the End.

Because of this, the toddler was always sad and estranged, persistently thinking about of those visions and unfamiliar feelings.

The only time he became livelier was when Naruto took him to lay Akuma to rest. Naruto went to get the cat's body and placed it in a cardboard box, and then he brought Sasuke to the village's cemetery and buried Akuma near the grave of its owner, a young fisherman named Takeo, placing a stone and flowers in the graves.

At that time, Sasuke began to cry softly. Naruto put a hand on his shoulder and told him that Akuma was with its owner now and was no longer alone. This explanation seemed to calm the child down.

Naruto wrote Tsunade and sent her Sasuke's medical tests, her response came hours later. The Hokage thought, like Naruto, the visions that Sasuke saw were remnant thoughts and memories from his brain about his past life. Phantom memories...

Naruto got up and dressed in silence before going to change the child's bed sheets and put them in the dirty laundry basket. It killed him to see Sasuke with such a painful and downcast expression on his face.

Sasuke woke up shortly after Naruto had left. The boy sat on the bed and rubbed his eyes with a fist. It took him some time to realize that he was in his father's room and wearing a diaper (he felt the plastic to move underneath his butt).

He eventually remembered that he had wet the bed because he had a bad dream and, therefore, Papa had let him sleep in his bed with him. After that, he had no more nightmares... in fact, he no longer felt sad or scared, just a little tired.

With some effort, Sasuke jumped up and left the room. As he heard the sound of dishes in the kitchen, he went there. Naruto was already preparing breakfast near the kitchen sink.

"Papa?"

Naruto turned around. Sasuke stood at the doorway, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"Hey! Look whose up?" Naruto said, approaching the child and took him in his arms. "Ohayo!"

Before, Sasuke would simply wake up and greet him with a straight face, but this morning, to his surprise, the boy smiled at him.

"Ohayo, Papa!" the child greeted smiling, but still looked tired and sick.

Naruto was stunned but merely landed Sasuke on the chair beside the kitchen table.

"Papa?" Sasuke asked again.

"Hmm?"

"I'm hungry!"

Naruto almost fell to the ground.

"You ... you are hungry?"

Sasuke stared at Naruto without realizing why he was so surprised.

"I can't eat?" the child asked, confused.

Naruto pulled himself together and nodded enthusiastically, "Of course you can! What do you wanna eat? "

"Ramen!"

Naruto wanted to laugh, but tried to make a serious face "You cannot eat ramen for breakfast, silly!"

"Ooooh... then I want milk and cookies. With chocolate!" Sasuke said with a typical childish stubbornness.

"Okay," Naruto replied with a grin.

When breakfast was ready, Sasuke devoured it in seconds, nearly choking on a cookie. The kid was starving, but it wasn't that what startled Naruto. Sasuke was behaving like a child again, as if the last few days hadn't happened at all.

"Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"Ah... You... You're feeling ok? You don't feel sad? "

Sasuke slowly put his mug on the table and looked at his father "No... Why?"

"Well ... you have been so sad these days..."

"I know. But now I feel better. Ne! Ne! Papa? Let's play!"

"Huh?"

Sasuke jumped up and clung to his father's trousers, pushing him toward the door.

"You're not gonna work today, right? So, come play with me!" Sasuke pleaded.

Naruto was still a little confused by what had happened. It was all very sudden.

_"What are you, Sasuke? Bipolar?__"_ Naruto thought.

The child was still trying to push him to his room so they could play. Accepting the situation, Naruto shrugged. If Sasuke was happy, that was what mattered.

"Can you play? You said you're gonna play with me!" the toddler insisted.

"Ok! Ok! I'll play with you in a second. But first you have to take your medicine. "

Sasuke grimaced, sticking his tongue out.

"Eww! I don't wanna! "

Naruto went to get the syrup and prevented the boy from running away and hide.

"You have to take your medicine if you want to get well again" said Naruto, filling a spoon with the green liquid. "Come on! Say Aaah!"

Sasuke pouted and turned his face, his lips closed tight.

"Come on, Sasuke! Open your mouth. "

"No! It tastes like crap!"

Naruto's jaw dropped.

"_Sasuke_! Watch your mouth!"

"But you say _crap_ all the time! You say many dirty words!" the child growled. "You say _shit_ and _fuck_ and _asshole_ too!"

Naruto blushed slightly and blamed himself for not having been more careful with his obscene language. The goddamn kid seemed to have a photographic memory!

"Just... Just because I say dirty words, it doesn't mean you can say them."

"Why?"

"Because... because I say so!"

"No fair!" Sasuke screamed, angry and sulking. "That's stupid!"

"It's not stupid!" Naruto growled back, getting carried away with the childish fight.

"It is!"

"It's not! And stop yelling, brat!"

"You're a moron!"

"Dumbass!"

"Idiot!"

"Teme!"

"Usuratonkachi!"

Naruto gaped and his eyes were wide with astonishment. On the other hand, Sasuke realized what he had just said and covered his mouth with both hands in horror.

The child didn't know where that word came from. He had thought it a few times when Daddy was being silly, but never said it out loud. It was as if it had escaped his lips. It seemed... normal.

Naruto was still not moving or talking, making Sasuke feel uneasy. The boy was beginning to think that perhaps he had gone too far and really offended his father. Slowly, Sasuke took his hands from his mouth.

"Papa... sorry. I didn't..."

Suddenly, Naruto burst out laughing, much to the child's confusion. Naruto laughed until tears came out of his eyes and his stomach ache.

_Usuratonkachi_... that's what Sasuke used to call him as an insult, followed by a noisy fight between the two boys. That brought him back memories from the original Team 7, a simpler and happier time in Naruto's life.

After his defection from Konoha, Sasuke never called him that again.

Before the confused expression on the child's face, Naruto hugged him, being careful not to pour the syrup in the spoon.

"Papa?" asked Sasuke. "What's wrong? You okay? "

Naruto stopped laughing and moved away, wiping his tears.

"It was nothing... Ah... I just found it funny! That's all. "

"You're not mad at me? Because I called you... that name?"

"Well... it's no compliment, but I don't mind you calling me that when you're goofing around. You know... just between the two of us" Naruto replied.

Relieved, Sasuke smiled at him and nodded. The idea seemed kinda funny.

"Okay!" the boy exclaimed.

"Well... now seriously Sasuke. Open your mouth and take your medicine."

Realizing that he let his guard down, Sasuke turned away from Naruto with a jump.

"No way!" Sasuke said, proud for having dodged in time. "You can't make me, usuratonkachi!" and closed his lips tightly.

Naruto merely smirked.

"Very smart... You are very smart. But you know what, Sasuke? "

With a quick movement, Naruto grabbed the raven's nose, and when he opened his mouth to breathe, he slipped the spoon with the medicine inside his mouth, forcing him to swallow it.

"Not smart enough... teme!"

* * *

Hours later, Sasuke went to his room and lay on the ground, face down, drawing. Papa played with him all morning and after his father finished washing the dishes, they would play more.

Sasuke knew he still couldn't play tiring games like tag or hide and seek because he couldn't run, that's why they made puzzles, read stories and played with his toys. Since he was alone now, the boy went to the crayons' box and made several drawings.

When the paper's sheet on which he was drawing ran out of space, he grabbed another blank sheet and stared at it without knowing what to draw. Finally, he drew a boy with black hair, dressed in white shorts and a blue shirt, but he didn't draw his face.

It took a while for Sasuke to realize that he had drawn his "grownup self" from his dream. Oddly, this memory is no longer frightened him.

He also ended up drawing the mini Papa, with a shorter blond hair and dressed in an orange jumpsuit. Looking at his drawing, Sasuke eventually draw the two boys holding hands... and drew a smile on their faces. Unexpectedly, this image made him feel all warm inside.

_Best Friends_...

Dropping the drawing, Sasuke went to the kitchen where his father was cleaning his wet hands with a cloth.

"Papa! Papa!" the child exclaimed, pulling Naruto's shirt. "Hold me!"

"Huh? Eh… Sure…"

Naruto turned to the child and took him in his arms. Sasuke grabbed his Papa's neck with his arms and kissed him on the cheeks.

"Wow! You're being very nice today" Naruto said also laughing. "What's got into you?"

"Nothing ... I really like my Papa!" Sasuke cried, burying his face in his father's shoulder, smiling contented.

"Thanks, I love my son too" Naruto replied. "I'll play with you in a little bit, okay?"

Sasuke nodded and kept hugging his father. Maybe he should feel weird, but he didn't mind that his Papa was also his best friend.

* * *

**There it is! This chapter didn't end up the way I planned, so I hope I did a good job with it.**

**Naruto really needs to watch his tongue! **

**Thanks for reading!**


	20. The Sly Fox

**Hi there! This chapter was hard to write, and I'm kind of nervous with the readers reactions. Please no flames!**

**To understand it better: the magical fox and tanuki (raccoon dog) are creatures in Japanese folklore who people believe as tricksters. The more tails a fox has (9 being the limit) the more powerful it is.**

**I hope you enjoy it.**

**

* * *

**

**The Sly Fox**

ずるそうなキツネ (Zuru-sōna kitsune)

The day had not started well for Naruto. After breakfast, Sasuke said he felt ill and vomited everything in seconds. When Naruto gave him a tea, the boy threw up again.

An hour later, Sasuke still felt feeble and sick, his skin was wet with cold sweat and he almost fainted when he tried to get up. The doctor came to the house and told Naruto that Sasuke was probably reacting badly to the sudden gain of appetite and that his stomach had been unable to keep up with the recent meals.

Naruto laid Sasuke in bed and gave him his medicine, which the boy accepted only because he was too tired to fight back. Shortly afterwards, the child was asleep.

After eating lunch alone in the kitchen, Naruto heard someone banging on the window. It was one of the small toads that he used to be in touch with Tsunade and Gaara. Frowning, Naruto opened the window and pulled the scroll around the frog's neck. The symbol was from Sunagakure.

Even more intrigued, Naruto rushed to open the letter. He had written to inform Tsunade about Sasuke already, so he didn't understand what the Kazekage wanted.

The letter was incredibly short.

_"Naruto,_

_Summon__ a frog. I want to talk to you urgently._

_Gaara"_

Confused, Naruto left the apartment and climbed the wall to the roof where he summoned Gamakichi.

"Yo! It's been a while!" the orange-colored frog exclaimed, even bigger than the last time Naruto had seen him. "Where's Sasuke?"

"Hi! Sasuke is sleeping. Gamakichi... I need you to go over Sunagakure."

"Huh? But the Kazekage is only supposed to visit you next year. "

"I know that, but Gaara says he has to talk to me at once. Can you go there?"

"Okay. Ja ne! "

With a puff of smoke, the frog disappeared. Naruto leaned against the wall and waited.

Five minutes later, Gamakichi reappeared bringing the unmistakable Sabaku no Gaara. The young Kage was taller and seemed to irradiate an aura of power and authority. He wasn't wearing his Kage's robe, but his "battle" clothes and his gourd of sand on his back.

Naruto smiled at him and moved towards the Kage.

"Hey, Gaara! You look great!" the blond exclaimed.

"Naruto" Gaara greeted with a nod and his usual expressionless face.

"Call me when you need me, Naruto" Gamakichi said.

"Sure! Thanks, Gamakichi. "

The frog disappeared as quickly as he appeared, leaving the two comrades alone on the roof. The winter sun was rather hot and the air was heavy with sea smell due to the wind which messed their hair and clothes.

"We need to talk, Naruto" Gaara said with a serious gaze.

Both young men came down from the roof and entered Naruto's kitchen through the window. It was the first time he saw Gaara that year and he had not seen the apartment yet. Naruto felt himself blush when noticed the dirty dishes on the table in the kitchen. He suspected that Gaara was pretty tidy.

"We'll talk in the living room, okay?" Naruto asked, leaving the kitchen and headed for the living room.

They sat in two chairs facing each other.

"Sasuke?" Gaara asked, noticing the toys on the floor.

"He's asleep... Baa-chan told you what happened to him?"

"Yes. I learned about the snake bite... He'll be all right?"

Naruto nodded "Most likely, he should be completely recovered in a week."

"I see."

"And what brings you here, Gaara? Not that I'm not happy to see you ... but your letter said you had something urgent to talk to me. "

The redhead Kage leaned against the chair and took a deep breath before turning to stare at Naruto. It was best to be direct.

"Your peers and teachers found you."

Naruto gaped and stared at his friend as if he had not heard right.

"What? How? What happened? "Naruto asked perplexed.

"It was Temari who told me" Gaara explained. "Nara Shikamaru confessed her their plans some time ago. Apparently, your comrades were not convinced with Tsunade's explanation that you took some time to travel. They were suspicious... As the Hokage didn't tell them the contents of your letters; it only further convinced them that something was not right. The idea of doing a search team set off from your teammate, Haruno Sakura. "

Naruto took a hand to his face and rubbed his eyes.

_"Oh Sakura-chan ..."_

"Rock Lee's team found a woman in a shop near the road that you talked to. From there, they began looking through forests and small shops in search of clues and work out what path you were following. Finally, they discovered you in the Land of Sun... They also concluded that'd be in the smaller villages," Gaara looked at Naruto in the eyes. "The members of the Konoha 11, an ANBU ninja named Sai, Hatake Kakashi, Might Guy and a member of ANBU called Yamato left Konoha a few weeks ago... will be here tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? So fast!"

"I wanted to tell you sooner... but Temari just informed me a few hours ago."

Naruto stood up and began to walk from one side to another without knowing what to do. Suddenly, he became very tense and turned to Gaara.

"And Sasuke? They know about Sasuke?"

Gaara shook his head.

"I don't think so... No one mentioned that you were seen with a child."

"Really? Good... "

Naruto sat back in his chair with his face buried in his hands. What a mess ... what a fucking mess.

"Naruto..." Gaara muttered. "What are you going to do?"

Naruto rested his hands on his lap and took a deep breath.

"It is too early..." Naruto said. "It is too soon to know the truth about what really happened to Sasuke. He deserves a normal childhood... he needs one! He suffered nightmares about horrible things from his past and only recently managed to overcome them. Finally he's living as a child. Can't take that away from him! "

Gaara remained quiet and silent, but was staring at Naruto intensely.

"If they know, there will be questions! They will question Sasuke and confuse him. He's still too young to understand what happened" Naruto continued, more and more distressed. "I hate to lie and hide things from my friends and sensei but I have to protect Sasuke! He is only a child now; he cannot hurt anyone or answer for his crimes. I can't take risk to have him living in an environment where everyone hates him for something that he doesn't even remember doing. The horrible things he did are still very recent and he..."

"He's your son" Gaara interrupted, causing Naruto to look at him. "He is your son now and you want him to have a happy and normal life as long as possible."

Naruto stood without speaking for a few seconds but eventually nodded slowly.

"Yes ... he's my son. And I can't let my child suffer what I've suffered!"

Gaara closed his eyes and nodded.

"If you think that Naruto, what do you intend to do?" Gaara asked again, reopening his pale green eyes.

"I..."

"Papa?"

The two boys turned to the doorway. Sasuke was clinging to the doorknob and looked at them with sleepy eyes.

"Hey sleepyhead!" Naruto greeted him.

Sasuke noticed that his Daddy was not alone. A red-haired man he had never seen was also in the living room. Sasuke came up to his father and climbed into his lap, leaning his head on his chest and staring into the unknown visitor.

"Who's he?" the child asked to Naruto.

"Don't you remember him? The last time he saw you were learning how to talk... Sasuke, this is Gaara" Naruto introduced. "He is my nakama!"

"Nakama? A comrade?" Sasuke asked.

Gaara approached Sasuke and knelt in front of them. Sasuke could not help but look at the man with no eyebrows... He seemed very serious and powerful. Just by looking at him, Sasuke knew he was powerful and intimidating.

Sasuke and Gaara remained silent, staring at each other for a while, to the point of Naruto starting to feel uneasy. Finally, Gaara raised a hand towards Sasuke.

"My name is Sabaku no Gaara" he introduced himself, his lips curving into a small but genuine smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Sasuke hesitated, but eventually gave him a handshake. The man could be a little scary, but he didn't look mean.

Gaara of the Desert... what funny name.

"Nice to meet you, Gaara-san. My name is Uzumaki Sasuke. "

Gaara nodded and went back to sit in his chair. Sasuke felt impressed with Gaara and regretted being sick. He didn't want him to think that Sasuke was a weak baby.

Gaara, meanwhile, was also impressed with the child. He could see remnants of the Sasuke he had known before the Chuunin exams, recognizing the look and attitude of defiance. However, the boy was still pure and his desire not to be intimidated was a way to try to give a good first impression.

"Gaara-san... you're a tanuki?" the toddler asked innocently.

Gaara blinked and Naruto almost choked.

"Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed.

"But... he looks like a tanuki, Papa!" the child argued, pointing to Gaara's face. "See? He has black rings around the eyes and everything!"

"That doesn't mean he's a tanuki, son."

"I'm a human being, Sasuke" Gaara said, impassively. "But you're right... my appearance resembles that of a raccoon dog."

"Once, I made a sand tanuki!" Sasuke exclaimed. Naruto and Gaara blinked in surprise and Sasuke blushed. "I ... I know that's silly..."

In response, Gaara took sand out of his gourd. Sasuke stared with wonder at the sand that swirled around Gaara.

"Wow! What's that? Magic? Did you see, Papa? You saw what he did?"

Naruto smiled at him "Yes, I did! It is one of Gaara's powers. "

"Powers?" the toddler asked. "Tanuki Powers?"

"Hn..." Gaara smiled. "I think you can say that."

Delighted by the flying sand, Sasuke turned to Naruto, putting his hands on his chest.

"Ne! Ne! Papa? You have magical powers too? Like a tanuki?

"Hm? Oh, no! I'm not a tanuki... "Naruto looked at Gaara in his eyes."I guess you could say that I'm a fox."

"A fox?" Sasuke asked, bewildered. "Like the magical foxes? Those who pull pranks and have many tails? "

"Exactly!"

"That's why you have those marks on your face? Because you have fox powers? "

"Perhaps" Naruto said with a cunning smile.

"Like the Nine Tailed Fox? The strongest?"

"Definitely the Nine Tails."

"Wow! And me? Can I be a magical animal?"

"You? And what sort of animal you wanted to be?"

"Mmm... I don't know..." said Sasuke. "But one that has to be cool! Papa! What animal do you think I am? "

Naruto crossed his arms and stared at Sasuke with a resolute expression.

"A bird..." said Naruto. "You're definitely a bird."

Sasuke did not seem very impressed.

"A bird? But the birds are weak and lame."

"Hey! It's not just any bird. You would be a Phoenix! "

"A Phoenix? What is it? "

"A phoenix is a huge fire bird" said Naruto. "It's very strong and agile! And when it dies, the Phoenix is reborn from it's ashes and lives again."

"The sacred bird of fire, huh?" Gaara muttered. "It's a powerful creature."

Sasuke had become interested. The idea of a huge fire bird seemed very cool!

"A fire bird! It's stronger than a fox!" Sasuke said, looking slyly to his father.

"Don't get cocky" Naruto replied teasingly stroking Sasuke's hair.

After all that talk, Sasuke began to feel tired again and curled up in his father's arms. When he finally fell asleep, he was still thinking about the Phoenix, flying majestically through the sky.

Naruto continued to stroke Sasuke's back as he slept. That child had no major concerns except about eating all his vegetables, brushing his teeth and behave in the nursery school. Naruto couldn't let Sasuke deal with with the harshness of the shinobi's life yet... He had promised to give him a happy childhood!

"Gaara..." Naruto whispered, staring at the sleeping child in his arms. "I can't let the truth be known yet. I'll leave as soon as possible. "

"Are you going to run away just like that?" Gaara said. "Think about it... the people of this village know that you have a young child, they know his name and his physical appearance. If your friends ask questions, they can reach that conclusion... In addition, Sasuke's scent is everywhere and your Rescue Team includes your sensei, Hatake Kakashi, and Inuzuka Kiba, with their hunt dogs. They know Sasuke's scent... they will know that he was here with you and alive!"

Naruto paled, he didn't even consider his friends' abilities. Gaara was right, escaping would not be easy and time was running short.

"So what can I do?" Naruto asked, exasperated. "I won't stay here waiting for them to find me and Sasuke. Even if I summon a toad they will know! They'll come to the conclusion that I have used Mount Myōboku as cover."

Gaara nodded slowly before getting up and took a scroll from his pocket, throwing it at Naruto who caught it with one hand.

"Then I advise you to quickly learn that jutsu" the Kazekage said.

Naruto stared at the scroll and opened it. His blue eyes opened with wonder and turned to stare at Gaara.

"This is... How did you know that I have the wind element?"

Gaara remained impassive.

"It doesn't matter. Can you master this technique quickly?"

"Yes... I don't think it's too hard... But Gaara! Even if I learn this jutsu, I don't know how I will escape them! I'm not exactly an expert on strategies."

Gaara smiled at him.

"You're not... but I am."

Naruto finally understood it and also returned a meaningful grin. Foxes and Tanuki were experts in deception, after all.

* * *

Close to six in the morning, the Konoha ninja advanced rapidly and discreetly through the streets of the Nikko village. The morning fog was so dense that even the few villagers who were in the street were unaware of their presence.

"Kiba!" Shikamaru called. "Did you catch his smell?"

"Hai! Naruto's smell is definitely on these streets. He's here" Kiba said, advancing through the streets riding Akamaru.

Not far behind Kiba, Sakura and Kakashi exchanged glances. After more than three years, they would finally see Naruto.

All ninjas suddenly stopped by a block of flats. Kiba sniffed the air and turned to Kakashi.

"The smell is more recent here... I think I found Naruto's house."

Kakashi nodded slowly and turned to Hinata "Hinata! See if you can find a ninja in these apartments."

"Sure..." the kunoichi replied."Byakugan!"

Hinata activated her Kekkei Genkai and noted the presence of several residents sleeping. However, on the first floor, she noticed the presence of someone with a considerable amount of chakra.

"I see someone on the first floor," said Hinata. "Possibly Naruto-kun ..."

Everyone was tense.

"Well... team Kakashi and Asuma, let's go! Team Guy and Kurenai, get ready to fight if Naruto tries to escape" Kakashi said. "C'mon!"

The 7 ninjas jumped to the wall next to the apartment and waited for the signal. When Kakashi nodded, they all went through the various windows from the kitchen and living room, scaring a man who was sleeping on the couch.

"Holy crap! What the hell is going on?" the man growled, preparing to fight.

All members of team Kakashi and Asuma were paralyzed, looking at the individual. It wasn't Naruto. He was a young man, about 20 years old, with straight brown hair and a monk's robes.

Sakura looked at the man carefully and lowered the kunai, slowly.

"Sora?" Sakura squealed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What?" Shikamaru exclaimed, recognizing the monk who they had fought against four years ago. "Sora? The monk from the Fire Temple? "

"Oh! But if it's not the guys from Konoha? Hisashiburi!" Sora greeted them with an overconfident grin.

Yamato turned to Kakashi.

"Senpai ... could have Kiba-kun been mistaken?"

Kakashi frowned "No... I can smell Naruto in the room. He has been here recently..."

"Hmpf ... So you came looking for Naruto?" Sora huffed, turning to sit on the couch. "What bad timing."

Everyone stared at him wide-eyed. Sakura came up to Sora, with her kunai ready.

"Sora... you know about Naruto? Where is he?" the medical ninja asked, glaring.

Sora returned her glare.

"Naruto has lived here since last year's April. I'm only been here since a few days ago and found him by accident. Today, he decided to leave and asked me to return the apartment keys to the landlord, that's all I know. "

"Leave?" asked Chouji.

"Where did he go?" asked Shikamaru.

"Huh? How should I know? He went west in direction to that forest" the monk said, pointing to the window to the woods behind the village.

"How long?" asked Kakashi.

"Oh ..." Sora looked at the watch. "About two hours ago."

The ninjas were immediately dispatched from the apartment and shouted to their companions who had been outside for the follow them to the forest.

"Naruto left two hours ago!" Shikamaru shouted. "We must hurry if we want to catch him. Kiba! "

"I know! C'mon Akamaru! "Kiba shouted, leading the ninjas and following Naruto's scent.

A few miles later, as they leaped from tree to tree, Neji had a hunch and activated the Byakugan.

"Kiba!" Neji shouted. "Stop!"

But Kiba didn't stop in time and stepped on the trap, activating it. Thousands of strings moved by kunais went through the forest, holding the ninjas in a metal web.

"AH!" they all cried, as the ropes held them in the air.

"What is this?" Lee said.

"A trap..." Kakashi said. "Naruto took precautions... he doesn't want to be reached."

They lost nearly 15 minutes to free everybody from all metal strings and continue. This time, Hinata and Neji were in front of the group with Kiba looking for possible traps. Until they reached a cliff.

They're about to go when Hinata told everyone to stop, just by a bridge. On the other side, was a ninja dressed in a black cape and wearing a fox mask. His blond hair waved in the breeze.

Hinata approached the bridge, staring at the ninja.

"Naruto-kun..."

Upon hearing Naruto's name, Sakura ran to stand next to Hinata. Her green eyes were fixed on the masked ninja who remained motionless on the other side of the bridge.

"NARUTO!" Sakura shouted.

Naruto lifted his head slowly and stared at them undisturbed and motionless. When Sakura tried cross bridge, Naruto motioned her to stay where she was. Sakura suddenly stopped and watched Naruto make her a sign with his hand to look down.

On the bridge's floor was a white envelope. Sakura grabbed it and opened it, reading aloud the single written sentence.

_"I'__m so sorry."_

"What? Naruto! What is...?" Sakura shouted, stopping when she saw Naruto throw an explosive kunai into the middle of the bridge. This kunai made hundreds of explosive tags blow up the bridge.

Sakura and Hinata were thrown back with the explosion and fell near their comrades, when the smoke cleared; they noticed that the bridge had been completely destroyed.

Naruto was still in the same position, on the other side of the cliff. Slowly, he turned his back.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted.

Naruto looked at her for a second before disappearing into the forest.

"Shit!" Shikamaru exclaimed. "Naruto is determined to escape."

"What do we do now?" Sai asked.

"Let me!" Yamato said. "Mokuton!"

With his wood, Yamato created a new wooden bridge, however, when it reached the other side of the cliff, more explosive tags blew it. Naruto had hidden them in the rocks, predicting that jutsu.

"Argh! Naruto-kun... he anticipated my moves!" Yamato said.

"He got smarter..." Kakashi said, acknowledging his student's improvements. "You'll have to blow all explosive tags to create a safe bridge, Yamato. There is no other solution."

It took some time before the explosive tags ran out, Naruto had placed thousands. When they finally moved, they could distinguish the ocean on the horizon and an enormous harbor filled with ships.

"What is...?" Tenten asked.

"It's a seaport! Naruto is going away on a ship!" Ino exclaimed.

"We cannot let him go on board! Let us make haste!" Kakashi said and they all speeded up.

When they arrived at the port, the ninjas jumped from rooftop to rooftop, looking for Naruto through the crowd who wanted to board the many ships that were moored near the port.

Finally, they saw Naruto boarding a ship.

"There!" Guy cried.

Everyone ran to the ship, pushing several passengers and crew to run through. When they were mere meters from Naruto, they cornered him in a dead end.

"It's over, Naruto!" Kakashi said.

The masked ninja raised his hands and all positioned themselves for the attack. To their horror, Naruto vanished in a cloud of smoke, as well as his smell and chakra.

"A Kage Bunshin..." Kakashi said."He tricked us..."

"Kiba! Can you feel his smell?" Shikamaru asked.

Kiba shook his head.

"The smell ends here..."

"We lost him..." Neji said.

Sakura looked down and clenched her fists tightly.

* * *

In a ship that had just left from the port, Naruto was sitting on a bench along with other passengers near a window. Sasuke was fast asleep in his lap.

When his clone disappeared, Naruto lifted his head. Everything had gone according to plan he and Gaara were premeditated.

Within a day, Naruto was able to master a jutsu that was capable of removing particles of scent from any object or living being. Using the wind element, he dispersed the molecules of the scent desired. Naruto used the jutsu in his whole house and village, eliminating Sasuke's odor. He had also used the jutsu in himself and Sasuke when they left the village, so at the moment, they were both odorless.

Naruto also asked the mayor to warn villagers not to mention his son's presence to the ninjas that would look for him.

"Mmm... Papa?" Sasuke asked, waking up.

"Good morning," Naruto greeted with a smile. "It's still early, you can sleep a little."

"We're already on the boat?" the child asked as Naruto snuggled him in his blanket.

"Yes ... But you have time to see fishes in the sea. You can sleep... Oh! I almost forgot!" Naruto opened his bag. "Izumi-sensei told me to give you this."

Naruto showed the paper fan that Sasuke had made in nursery school.

"My uchiha!" the child exclaimed, grabbing the fan. "Can I have it, Papa?"

"You can! It's all yours! "

Sasuke smiled and yawned, going back to sleep quickly, leaning against his father's chest.

Naruto, in turn, stared at the port which disappeared over the horizon, knowing that his friends were there, looking for him.

"Not yet, guys... Not yet..." the blond whispered, stroking the child's back he had in his lap.

* * *

As expected, the ninja turned to Nikko and asked the villagers about Naruto. Sora was of little help and only said that Naruto had worked in the village to pay the bills from the apartment because he was tired of sleeping outdoors. As Naruto asked him, he did not mention anything about Sasuke.

At the end of the day, Sakura was tired and fuming. After questioning a group of girls who did nothing but giggle like hyenas when she asked them details about Naruto, she was ready to punch someone. Fortunately, she managed to control herself and went to the village square, which served as a meeting point.

Nobody got much information. Naruto had come to live in Nikko, he worked doing chores and went home. He was a friendly ninja, helpful and efficient... all the villagers liked him. He departed very suddenly, and gave them no explanation.

"It's not a coincidence," Shikamaru said. "He must have known we were coming."

"But how did he know?" Ino asked. "Naruto is not a sensor that powerful."

"Those traps and the clone... it was all planned to mislead us," Kakashi said. "He needed time. Shikamaru is right ... he knew we were coming. "

"But ... how?" Sakura asked. "Apart from us, nobody knows!"

Shikamaru scratched his head.

"I told Temari" Shikamaru confessed. "She must have informed Gaara."

"Did Gaara-kun tell the Hokage?" Lee said.

"I don't think so... I told Temari weeks ago! If Gaara had warned the Hokage she would have stopped us."

"So how does Naruto know?" Sakura asked.

"I have no idea..." Shikamaru confessed.

Kakashi approached them.

"Regardless of how he discovered, I am sure for one thing," said Kakashi with a serious expression. "Naruto is not just traveling... he is hiding from the ninja world."

"EH?" Everyone gasped.

"Kakashi! Why do you say that?" Guy asked.

"Naruto worked very hard to escape. He didn't want to be caught or go back to Konoha. He is hiding something from us... something that I imagine to be so severe that he can't reveal it even to his closest friends. Something must have happened during his fight against Sasuke... it was since then that he began to flee."

Sakura stared at her sensei and gasped. What kind of secret would Naruto try to hide so desperately?

* * *

**I'm sorry to all the readers who were anxious about Konoha 11 reunion with Naruto. It will happen! Just not yet! All I can ask is for you to trust me, I want to try something with this fiction.**

**This chapter ends this "arc". If I had to name the following arc it would be the "Truth Arc", because many painful truths are going to be revealed in a unexpected way.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	21. Revelation

**Hi there! This is the first chapter of the "Truth Arc". It's kinda of small, but I hope you'll like it.**

**On a side note, to those who watched Samurai X/****Rurouni Kenshin, did you know that the author claimed that if the did a sequel, Kenshin's son Kenji would be an antagonist? He would learn to imitate _Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū_ moves just by hearing about them. While Kenshin remarks to his young son in the chapter Kenji will one day inherit the sakabatō after Yahiko, Watsuki reveals in this spinoff story, Kenji would have to fight Myōjin Shinya, the son of Yahiko and Sanjō Tsubame, for the right to inherit sakabatō after Yahiko himself. It also states that Kenji, who is a genius, would grow up to be "more twisted than Saito and more egomaniacal than Shishio".**

******Doesn't that remind you of someone? ^_^**

******Anyway, that was the reason I choose the name Kenji, for this chapter's antagonist. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Revelation**

啓示 (_Keiji_)

_A year and four months later_

_April 4th_

With four years and eight months old, Sasuke was no baby.

He remembered vaguely living with his father in a village by the sea when he was three. Now, they lived in another village near a mountain, but they had stopped in many other places.

His Tou-chan had told him they had to travel so he could get a job and that was why they were always moving. But Sasuke didn't mind, he had already been to many places that most kids only had heard of such as beaches, deserts, rivers and oceans.

In his childish self-centeredness, Sasuke had no idea what his Tou-chan job was, and wasn't very interested in finding out. All he knew was that his father went to work in the morning so he had to leave him in kindergarten and had pick him up in the afternoon.

However, sometimes, his daddy could not come to get him and Sasuke had to go to Mrs. Irino's home, who was the mom of one of his classmates, Irino Ryo.

Ryo was the first friend that Sasuke made when he went to kindergarten. On the first day, Ryo asked Sasuke if he wanted to go play with him and his friends. After that, he began to play together with the other boys too: Daichi, Junpei, Akito and Kenji. They used to play catch, hide and seek, go to the swings and slide. They also played samurais and ninjas sometimes.

Since his father had told him a story about ninjas, Sasuke had been amazed by these warriors. Ninjas were strong, agile and discrete. They seemed so cool and powerful in the story books and mangas that its Tou-chan had bought!

After leaving the kindergarten, Ryo's mother and other ladies took them to the playground, so they could play. The six boys enjoyed themselves but Kenji was strangely bad-tempered, he did not accept any of the other children games and when he lost, he pouted.

When were playing catch, the ball flew away and run Sasuke to pick it up. He then noticed that one kid was sitting a swing, away from them. Sasuke picked up the ball and stared at the boy, who should be more or less his age but he was all dirty and his clothes were torn. The boy stared at Sasuke with a haughty expression and Sasuke merely grabbed the ball and returned to his classmates.

"Ne?" Sasuke asked. "Who's that kid over there in the swing?"

The other boys noticed the ragged boy.

"Nobody knows his name" Ryo said. "He doesn't live in the village. He just comes and goes all the time."

"He can walk around alone?" Sasuke asked, uncomprehending.

"He's an orphan" Kenji said with contempt. "He can do whatever he wants!"

"What's an orphan?" Junpei asked.

"It's a kid who has no parents. Probably he was so ugly at birth that his mother threw him in the garbage" Kenji said, with a cruel smile.

"Ryo!" Mrs. Irino called. "We gotta go! Sasuke-chan, you'll stay in our home until your father comes to get you!"

The two boys said goodbye to their friends, and each one held Mrs. Irino's hand. But before leaving the park, Sasuke took one last look at the orphaned boy, who stared at him with envy.

* * *

In Ryo's home, the two boys were playing in the living room with various toys. Ryo's younger brother, Hisao, was only two years old and liked to play with his stuffed elephant with them. Ryo was constantly saying that he thought Hisao was annoying! He wanted to imitate him in everything and was always following him everywhere. However, Sasuke remembered that when Hisao fell down the stairs Ryo started to cry because he thought his brother had died.

"Nii-chan! Elephant!" Hisao squealed, displaying the soft toy.

Ryo snorted angrily.

"I know, Hisao... You showed that to me a million times."

"Elephant! My! "

"Good, now go away" Ryo ordered, wanting to play with his toys in peace. "Go play with Mama!"

"No! Nii-chan! Want Nii-chan! "

"But I don't want you! Go away! "Ryo shouted.

Hisao began to cry, clinging to his toy and ran into the hallway. Ryo snorted and continued to play with his toys.

"Cry baby..." Ryo muttered between his teeth.

Sasuke, meanwhile, felt sorry for Hisao. He just wanted his Nii-san to play with him, and Ryo had sent him away.

"Ryo?" Sasuke asked. "You don't like Hisao?"

"Huh? Hisao is a big baby! He is always nagging me!"

"So ... you don't like him?"

Ryo looked down and pouted.

"It's not that I don't like him... I just don't like that he's always bugging me to play with him."

"I think Hisao wants to play with you because he likes you" Sasuke said.

Ryo looked at the living room door with a sad expression. Finally, he got up and went to his younger brother's room, where he was sitting whimpering. Ryo approached him and gave him a hand.

"Ok... you can play with us but you can't scream or cry" Ryo said, pulling his brother back to the living room.

Hisao smiled and grabbed his elephant, sitting next to his Nii-chan and Sasuke. After some time, Ryo and Hisao's grandmother joined them in the living room, sitting in a rocking chair and knitting a sweater for her youngest grandchild.

"Obaa-san?" Ryo asked. "When will Tou-san come home?"

"Hm? He should be back to dinner..." the old lady replied.

"Oh... so he'll be tired again..." Ryo whined. "Whenever Tou-san works, he never plays with me!"

Sasuke stared at his companion.

"My Tou-chan said he would play with me when he came from work" the raven said.

"Oh? He won't play with you!" Ryo said. "When adults come home from work, they just want kids to leave them alone."

"Ryo!" his grandma intervened. "Adults work all day so that children can eat and have a house to live in. When they come home they deserve to rest."

"I know! I know! "Ryo replied, pouting."Kaa-san and Tou-san are always saying that."

"Tou-chan promised he would play with me!" Sasuke insisted. "He always keeps his promises."

A few minutes later, someone rang the doorbell. Mrs. Irino opened the door quickly, shouting joyfully.

"Oh! Naruto-san! Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon, Irino-san" Naruto greeted with a kind smile.

"Work went well? I knew you have been receiving many requests lately. "

"Everything is going great. I hope that the villagers are happy with my work..."

"Everybody feels much safer since Naruto-san came to our village," Mrs. Irino said. "Just yesterday my sister told me how you helped to carry their heavy furniture to the attic. They were very impressed!"

Naruto grinned and scratched his neck, a little flushed. He would never get used to compliments after being so criticized and denigrated in his youth.

"Really? It wasn't anything special... "

In the living room, Sasuke heard his father's voice. The child got up and ran to the lobby.

"Tou-chan!" Sasuke shouted joyfully, hugging his father's waist. "Okaerinasai, Tou-chan!"

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed and took Sasuke in his arms. "How's my boy? You did you behave?"

"Huh Huh!" Sasuke nodded, clinging to Naruto's shoulders. "Let's play, Tou-chan? What are we going to play?"

"Sasuke-chan..." Mrs. Irino interrupted. "Your father must be tired. He worked all day and needs rest. "

Sasuke looked at her before looking down, very disappointed. Ryo had been right after all...

Before the disappointed look in his son's eyes, Naruto smiled indulgently.

"I said I would play with you. And I never go back on my word" Naruto said, making Sasuke his open eyes with astonishment and joy.

"Really?" the child asked.

"Of course. We can play whatever you want!"

* * *

Shortly afterwards, Sasuke hid himself behind a tree, covering his mouth to smother his laughter. They were playing hide and seek in the forest around the village and he could hear his father trying to find him.

"Hmm ... I think Sasuke hid too well," Naruto said. "Maybe he's that way!"

Naruto moved to the opposite side of where Sasuke was hiding. The boy leaned against the tree, hearing the sound of his father's footsteps moving away. Laughing between his teeth, Sasuke peered through the trunk. The coast was clear!

He was about to change his hiding place when he felt a hand on his head, making him flinch.

"I found you... Sasuke!" Naruto said with a sly smile as he turned to Sasuke.

"Oooh! You found me!"

Naruto giggled and patted his hair.

"I always find you!" Naruto said and began to tickle Sasuke.

Sasuke tried to escape from his Tou-chan's hands, and threw himself against him. The two fought on the floor, rolling in the grass, shouting and waving. Sasuke also tried to tickle Naruto and the latter responded by grabbing him by the armpits and lifted him into the air. The child opened his arms and laughed with satisfaction.

The setting sun lit the mountains of red. Naruto got up from the ground, completely dirty with earth and grass. Sasuke was also filthy and exhausted, but seemed happier than ever sitting on the floor, smiling.

"It's getting late," Naruto said. "It's best to go home."

"Oh... we have to? I want to play more!" Sasuke said, but his stomach conveniently chose that moment to growl with hunger.

Sasuke blushed and Naruto laughed.

"You're all dirty and starving. What you need is a good bath and dinner "Naruto handed his hand. "We can always play later. Let's go home?"

Sasuke had so much fun that he didn't want to go home, but he was really hungry. The child nodded, grabbed Naruto's hand and stood up.

Hand in hand, father and son moved through the almost deserted streets of village. Beside them, a stream went down the hill, before flowing into a lake. Their waters shone, irradiating white and orange reflections.

Naruto remembered the many times he came home at sunset alone. His heart ached whenever he watched his colleagues in the Academy return home with their parents, while Naruto had to return to an empty house where there was nobody to talk to, to force him to eat healthy foods or bathing.

Often he fell asleep crying, wishing fervently that his parents were there with him.

When Sasuke also became an orphan, he passed by him almost every day when he came home from the playground. Sasuke never played with anyone; he just sat by the river. When both their eyes crossed, they pouted and Naruto went on his way. They never talked to each other.

At that moment, Sasuke walked cheerfully through the streets, talking about what he had done in kindergarten and what he wanted to eat for dinner. The child looked at Naruto with a big smile and Naruto smiled back, holding his hand tighter.

They were returning home together as a family. The family that Sasuke had lost and the family Naruto had longed for all his life.

Neither of them was alone anymore.

* * *

_April 5__th_

The four year olds' sensei was a lady named Mayura. She was married to one of the village doctors, she had a three year old daughter named Masumi and she was eight months pregnant.

Mayura-sensei had been outside the village for five months because she had had to take care of her ailing mother, who lived in another village. When she entered the classroom with her huge belly, the children cried in admiration.

"Sensei! You are so fat!"

"How did you become so big, sensei?"

Mayura smiled and her students sat in a chair in front of them, massaging her belly affectionately.

"I'm not fat, children" she explained. "I'm having a baby."

Children approached their sensei and stared at her huge belly in disbelief.

"Is there a baby?"

Mayura nodded.

"Yes ... My baby is here, inside my belly."

"Sensei! Where do babies come from? How are they born?" one boy asked.

Sasuke also approached the other children and sat on the floor like them.

"Ah... well..." Mayura-sensei tried to explain. "Babies are born from their mama's tummy."

"Eh? Babies come from the belly? How do they get in there?"

"Well ... Papa puts a seed inside Mama's tummy. This seed grows in her belly and, after several months, a baby is born. "

While the children exclaimed with admiration, Sasuke was very quiet. He didn't have a mother, he never had. His whole life was just him and his father... he never thought about his mother. He thought there was none. But if babies are born from their mommy's belly, where was his?

"Since babies come from their parents, they look like them. They may have the same eyes or even the same hair or nose" Mayura said. "Why don't you kids draw your family? That way, you can see how you are alike. "

"Hai, sensei!" the children answered, picking up the crayons and started drawing.

Kenji didn't want to draw. He hated having to think about parents or families! His father had left home to buy cigarettes and disappeared. His mother had been very worried and had him searched everywhere but without success. Everyone thought his father had been kidnapped, had an accident or died. Two days ago they had finally found him: he fled with his pregnant lover and made a new family, abandoning Kenji and his mother.

Since he discovered the truth, Kenji hated to see the other kids happy with their parents. It wasn't fair that their parents loved them while his father had abandoned him.

Rising from his seat, Kenji peeked on his classmates drawings.

Sasuke was about to finish his drawing. He had drawn his Tou-chan and himself playing in the forest, until he felt a presence behind him.

"Why are you drawing?" a voice asked. Sasuke turned and saw Kenji, smiling with scorn.

"What?" Sasuke asked, confused.

Kenji looked at the drawing filled with hatred. The damn ninja's son had always his dear father with him! Kenji hated them and their happiness.

"You can't draw a family! You don't have one!" Kenji said.

"What... what do you mean?" Sasuke replied. "Of course I have! I have my father! "

"Are you stupid? You don't look anything like Naruto-san! You are totally different!" Kenji spat the words like they were poison."You're adopted!"

Sasuke opened his eyes wide.

"Adopted...? What does that mean?"

"It means your father is not really your father! Your real parents threw you out or Naruto-san stole you from them! Naruto-san is not your father!"

Sasuke felt his heart beat faster and his throat dry.

"That's not true!" Sasuke shouted, not wanting to believe it. "You're lying!"

"So where is your mother?" Kenji asked, smiling before the shocked expression on Sasuke face. "You have no mother! You're an orphan! Your real parents hated you and dumped you!"

"Shut up!" Sasuke growled, throwing himself against Kenji.

The two boys began fighting fiercely against each other, punching, kicking and biting until Mayura-sensei finally got them apart.

* * *

Naruto was surprised when a woman informed him that Sasuke had been sent home because he had been in a fight with another boy. Sasuke had always been so calm that Naruto could not imagine what would have happened.

The blond ninja rushed to finish the mission and returned home. Next to his apartment was one of the employees from the kindergarten with Sasuke. The boy was leaning against the wall, staring at the ground with a furious expression.

Naruto thanked the employee for having brought Sasuke and said goodbye to her. After opening the apartment door and into the house, Naruto asked Sasuke.

"Sasuke, why did you fight with one of your classmates?" Naruto asked, but Sasuke was still staring at his feet. "What happened?"

Sasuke raised his face and glared Naruto in the eye, causing the blond to recall the glare full of hatred that he saw in Uchiha Sasuke's.

"I'm adopted?" Sasuke asked ferociously.

Naruto's eyes widened with shock.

"Sasuke... what ...?"

"I'm not like you! You're blond and have blue eyes; I have black hair and black eyes!" Sasuke exclaimed."We're nothing alike! Nothing!"

Naruto remained silent. He did not know what to say.

"Why don't I have a Kaa-chan like everyone else? Where is she?"

"I..."

"A baby comes from the mother's belly. Where's my mother?" Sasuke continued, feeling the tears behind his eyes. "Was I adopted? Was I born to other parents?"

Sasuke stared at Naruto intensely, hoping that the latter would contradict him. He didn't want it to be true. _Please, it could not be true!_

Naruto had to control himself not to shiver. He always knew this day would come, but he wasn't ready. He didn't know how to explain everything to Sasuke, but he knew he could not lie to him. Sasuke deserved to know.

"Was I adopted?" Sasuke asked again, his eyes shining in anticipation and nervousness.

Clenching his fists tightly, Naruto replied.

"Yes... you were."

Sasuke's dark eyes widened with shock and horror. He felt like the floor was crumbling beneath him. The child began to back away, shaking his head.

"No... No..."

"Sasuke... is not that simple. Let me explain... "

But Sasuke continued to move away from Naruto.

"You lied to me..."

The child was confused, angry and sad. He knew nothing now! The family he had was a lie!

"You're a liar! You're a damn liar" Sasuke yelled.

"Sasuke! Don't be mean!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Mean? You lied to me! You're the one who's mean! "

Naruto grabbed the boy's arm, but Sasuke walked away filled with anger.

"Don't touch me!" Sasuke growled, tears running down his face.

"Sasuke..."

"Shut up! I hate you! You're not my real father!" the child cried and ran to his room, slamming the door hard.

Naruto ran a hand through his eyes and sighed deeply. He approached Sasuke's door and almost knocked... but gave up. Maybe Sasuke needed some space, it was best to leave him alone a bit, at least until he calmed down.

Naruto went to the living room, sat on the couch and buried his face in his hands. Remembering the last words Sasuke said, he wept in silence.

* * *

Sasuke jumped into his bed and wept. He no longer knew who he was... it was as if his whole world had fallen apart.

His Tou-chan was not his father; he would never be like him. That hurt him so much that he thought his heart would explode. And where were his real parents? Was he like them? How did they look like? Why did they leave him?

Why? Why had this happened? Sasuke wished that nothing had happened. He hated Kenji. He hated his parents for leaving him. He hated Naruto for having lied and pretended that he was his father.

He hated Naruto for not **being** his real father.

When Sasuke turned to look up at the clock on the bedside table, he realized he had fallen asleep. Outside it was very dark.

Sasuke got out of bed and opened the bedroom door into the hallway. The house was completely silent and Naruto could not be seen anywhere.

The young raven went to the front door and turned the knob, opening it up.

Glancing at the empty corridor, Sasuke clenched his fists tightly and left the apartment. The child ran down the stairs and out into the deserted street.

He had to find his real parents.

* * *

**Sorry, cliffy again! **

**Unfortunately, I'm going back to college and I'll be very busy from now on. I have 2 exams every 15 days, interships and reports to make, that's why I tried to write as much as I could during the summer.**

**I'll try to keep writting and I'll upload as soon as I can, but obviously college comes first.**

**Thanks for reading! **


	22. Hell Night

**Hey guys! I had this chapter half done so I decided to finished it.**

**There are several myths about adoption, one of them is that adoptees will leave the adoptive parents once they reunite with their biological parents; another is that an adoptee can never love his adoptive parents as if they were related by blood. I'm not adopted, so I can't truly understand their feelings. I wonder if any of you was so you can give me your opinion on this?**

**However, I don't believe those myths to be true. Maybe on some cases yes, but not all.**

**Warning: this chapter metions prostition and pedophilia.**

**

* * *

**

**Hell Night**

地獄の夜 (_Jigoku no yoru_)

Sasuke ran through the streets of the village, looking at everything and everyone. After running for several blocks, he eventually slowed down and stopped at a tree, panting.

The streets were practically deserted because it was so late. Sasuke was all sweaty and hadn't brought a jacket, so he started to shiver.

When he ran away from home, Sasuke was convinced he would find his real parents. But now, he no longer thought it was so easy. He had no idea where they were or how to find them.

The boy started to walk down the streets, hugging himself with cold. A drunken man passed by him and pushed him against a wall, giving the boy a look full of anger and contempt.

"Watch where you're going, kid!" the drunk muttered.

Sasuke looked at him. He had dark brown hair and black eyes, his clothes were soiled with food and wine stains and the man smelled awful.

He could not be his real father!

Sasuke moved away from the man and continued to walk. After what seemed like an eternity, Sasuke began to feel scared, he did not know these streets. There were more people there, but they looked scary. Several men came from inside abandoned houses laughing, staggering and embracing women who were almost naked. The adults looked at Sasuke as if he were an insect in a soup. He wasn't welcome there!

Increasingly alarmed, the child began to walk faster. Men and women began to call him and mocking him.

"Look a lost kid! Come here brat! "

"You lost your mama, little baby? I think I slept with her last night! "

"It's official! Clients are getting younger and younger! Come here sweetie, I'll kiss you like your mother never did!"

Sasuke started running to get away from those strange and frightening people. When he looked back to see if they had followed him, he bumped against someone and fell to the ground.

"Oh dear! You okay, honey?" asked a lady's voice.

Sasuke looked forward. It was a very pretty lady! She was dressed in a white kimono with red and yellow flowers. Her skin was pale and perfect, with red lips, black hair and black eyes.

She was a lot like Sasuke.

The lady extended her hand to grab his and helped him get up.

"Are you okay, dear?" she asked again.

"Ah... yes. Thanks" Sasuke replied, unable to take his eyes off her.

She smiled at him.

"Thank goodness! What are you doing here alone in the street?"

She looked so pretty and nice. Maybe... maybe she was his real mom.

"Miss... are you my Mama?" Sasuke asked.

The woman blinked with surprise, but pulled herself together in time and smiled at him seductively. She always had a knack for enchanting children with her smile.

"I may have forgotten that I had lost a son" the young woman said. "A child as beautiful as you could really be my son! Come with me, my baby. Let's talk and then we can eat candy! "

The woman grabbed Sasuke's little hand and pushed him inside a house. Sasuke followed her with delight; he had met his real mom! And she was so beautiful and kind! She was perfect!

The house where they entered was full of red carpets and chairs. Several women with kimonos ran past them laughing with one or two men chasing them. A fat old man was lying on a couch with a woman, kissing her mouth and neck and stroking her ass.

A strange and smelly smoke wafted in the air, leaving the men's cigarettes that laughed and yelled dirty words as they spoke to each other. A woman grabbed a bottle of sake and began dancing in a man's lap with no pants on.

Sasuke had never seen anything like this. It would be a party just for adults? Was his real daddy there too?

A woman with a breast out of her Kimono bumped up against them and burst out laughing. She smelled like alcohol and cigarettes.

"Oh! Sorry Chou" the woman said, with an inebriated smile. Her eyes focused on Sasuke. "And what have we here?"

"This little boy wants a mama" Chou said. "I think he should join our..._family_."

"Oh, yes! He should fit perfectly" the drunken woman said with a smile that made Sasuke want to hide from view. "Show him to the guys. They'll love him!"

Chou nodded and pushed Sasuke into a room where several men and two women were playing cards and drinking sake.

"Good night, guys" Chou greeted. "Look what I found lost in the street?"

Everyone turned and stared at Sasuke. The expressions of surprise became greedy smiles. One of the men approached Chou and Sasuke.

"Well, well, well... I see you found another stray puppy" the man said, looking Sasuke up and down with a pleased smile. "This one is cute! Our customers will be satisfied. "

Sasuke didn't like the way how the man looked at him and tried to hide behind Chou, but she pulled his arm strongly and forced him to stare at the man.

"Who are you?" the child asked, shivering when the man smiled, revealing black teeth because of the cigarettes he smoked and a golden tooth.

"You can call me Chairo-san" the man said. "I am the owner of this house, little buddy. You want to stay with us? We'll get you many _special_ friends."

Everyone laughed and Sasuke tried to back away, but Chou grabbed him with even more strength. The child began to tremble and he felt tears build up behind his eyes.

Chairo found the frightened look in the kid's eyes very amusing. Each one was afraid, but they all ended up getting used to it. He laughed when he touched the boy's face and he shook it like he'd been given a shock.

"Do you like pampering, puppy?" Chairo asked, smiling devilishly. "Many of my friends love to fondle pretty boys like you."

Sasuke wanted to walk away from that house. Those people were evil and scared him. He wished he had not left his house... he just wished it was all a dream and he was right in his room, sleeping.

"No, thank you... I want to go home now" Sasuke said. He tried to flee but Chou stuck her nails in his arm and forced him to stay where he was.

"No, no, no, puppy" Chairo mocked. "This is your new home now."

Sasuke looked at Chou, hoping she would help and defend him. To his horror, Chou smiled as malevolently as Chairo. She no longer seemed pretty or nice... she looked like a wicked witch.

"C'mon, baby? Didn't you say you wanted me to be your Mama? You are going to help Mama make lots of money. "

It was then that Sasuke knew that woman was not his mother. She was mean! The child tried to escape again, grabbing Chou's arm for her to let go.

"You're not my mommy!" Sasuke shouted, with tears running down his face. "Let me go home! Get off me! I'm gonna tell Tou-chan!"

In response, Chou gave him a snap in the face. Sasuke grabbed his wounded cheek and cried in pain.

"Shut up, you fucking bastard! You're ours now!" Chou squealed with anger and contempt. "You will have many new daddies now... daddies who will love _playing_ with you!"

Desperate to escape, Sasuke bit her arm. Chou released him and cried like a raging monster.

"He bit me! That fucking brat bit me! "

As soon as Chou dropped him, Sasuke ran out the door, escaping from the arms that tried to grab him.

"Get him! Catch that kid! "

Sasuke left the house and ran down the street as fast as he could. Behind him, he could hear men chasing him.

"Kill him! He heard too much! Kill him!"

He was gonna die. Sasuke was gonna die. Those evil men were going to catch him and kill him. All we wanted now was that his Daddy was there. He wanted to be home with him and never have run away.

"Tou-chan! Tou-chan! "Sasuke shouted in despair."Help me, Tou-chan! They're gonna kill me! Tou-chan!"

The child saw an abandoned house and ran inside it to hide from his pursuers. The house was made of wood and stones and was practically falling apart. Even so, Sasuke climbed the decayed stairs up to the upper floors of the building. When the stairs ended at the attic, Sasuke hid behind a table, huddling against the dirty wall, weeping and trembling.

_"Please don'__t find me... Please... I don't want to die... I don't want to die ..."_ the young child thought, trying to muffle his cries. _"Papa... I want Papa."_

Outside the abandoned building, the men smiled at their luck. If they killed the kid, it would be difficult to hide the body. When one of the men arrived with a bottle of petrol, they drenched walls of the house and threw a match. In seconds, the downstairs was in flames.

"Perfect! The building is freaking old. A small _"accident"_ and the kid dies tragically" one man said.

Not wanting to be caught on the scene, the men disappeared. The kid had no way of escaping the burning building.

Sasuke smelled the smoke but did not move. He expected to hear the bad men climbling up the stairs, but they hadn't yet appeared. Slowly, he peered across the table and saw an orange flash and black smoke out the window. Trembling, the child ran to the window and looked down. The building was on fire and he was trapped inside.

* * *

Naruto woke up lying on the couch in the living room. Stretching, the young blond stood up and yawned.

Realizing that the house was dark, Naruto looked at the clock on the living room wall and realized he had slept for hours. Turning the lights on in the living room and hallway, Naruto went to Sasuke's room, hoping that he was calmer. If the boy was sleeping, the best would be to talk with him the next day.

All Naruto wanted was that he hadn't created an abyss between them that might never be surpassed. The ninja didn't want things to change, not after the two of them finally becoming a real family, but there was no other solution. If he lied to Sasuke, when he eventually learned the truth he would hate Naruto even more.

Naruto stopped when he noticed that the front door was open. To his dismay, Sasuke's room also had the door open. Naruto ran to the boy's bedroom and looked inside: it was empty.

The ninja also called for Sasuke and checked the other rooms of the apartment, but the child wasn't there. Naruto's dread became a reality; Sasuke had run away from home.

Naruto left the house running and jumped from rooftop to rooftop, looking for the boy in the streets.

_"Sasuke__... where are you? Please, be safe!"_ Naruto thought filled with concern.

Since he could not see Sasuke anywhere, Naruto stopped and entered Sage Mode. Sasuke's chakra was so low that he could barely feel it, but was still in the village.

Naruto jumped onto the street and moved quickly. After several blocks without finding a single clue, the ninja stopped to focus again on Sasuke's chakra.

"I know you" a little voice murmured.

Naruto turned towards the voice. A street kid was sitting on a wooden box in a dark corner.

"You're the ninja" the orphan said. "You're the father of that kid with spiky black hair."

Naruto approached the boy.

"Yes, I am. Have you seen that boy?" Naruto asked anxiously.

"He was talking to the ladies who like to kiss men for money" the kid said without any emotion. "After that, he fled from the men who work with them. These men like to take kids to their houses... they like touching them."

Naruto felt his insides turn into ice. He had to control himself not to grab the boy and force him to tell him everything he knew.

"Where did he run to from these men? Have you seen him? "

The boy pointed to a street.

"Thanks!" Naruto picked up a paper and wrote a message in a hurry. "Take this paper to the police, please! I can't let these men to go free."

The kid nodded.

"I know... I want them to die, too" the boy said coldly, but with fury in his eyes. "My mother worked with them. They killed her when she tried to escape with me. "

Without another word, the kid ran down the street and disappeared. Naruto also began to run, until he saw a group of men moving merrily in his direction, carrying knives and bats.

When men noticed Naruto, they stopped and waved their weapons.

"Who the hell are you?" one asked. "This is our territory. If you wanna live, you better pay."

Naruto remained silent, staring intensely at the weapons. None of them had blood stains.

"Hey! You heard me, bastard? Give us your money or we..."

The man had no time to finish the sentence. Naruto threw himself against the other men, putting them senseless with a blow. The man who had spoken with him, found himself pushed against a wall, with Naruto holding him by the collar and a kunai pressed against his throat.

"Speak!" Naruto commanded, pressing the kunai against the man's jugular. "The boy you were chasing. Where is he? "

"Arrr... I do not know what you're talking about... we did not see anyone."

Naruto cut a little skin in the men's neck with the kunai. The man's eyes widened in fear when Naruto's pupils became slits and his irises turned red.

"Do not lie to me, asshole! What did you to the kid? Where is he?" Naruto growled. "Dare to lie to me and prison will seem like a paradise compared to what I'll do to you! WHERE IS HE? "

The man began to tremble with fear and pointed to the street he came from.

"There... the abandoned mansion..."

Naruto gave him a punch and the man collapsed. Naruto threw him into the ditch and ran toward the abandoned mansion. When he saw the orange glow and smoke rising up in the sky, Naruto ran even faster.

Half the building was on fire!

"SASUKE!" Naruto shouted in front of the burning house.

The inside of the house was falling apart. Wasting no time, Naruto ran into the blazing house.

* * *

Sasuke could see the flames cornering the room where he was. The heat and smoke were unbearable and the child lay on the floor coughing.

It was the end, he was going to die.

With a bang, the door's room flew against the wall and Sasuke distinguished a pair of legs, moving around the room. When Sasuke coughed again, the person turned and moved towards him. Shortly after, Sasuke felt a pair of hands grabbing him and an unknown person took him in his arms.

"Sasuke! You okay?"

Recognizing the voice, Sasuke's onyx eyes widened in amazement.

"To... Tou-chan?" the child asked in disbelief.

Naruto pressed Sasuke against his chest and came down the practically destroyed stairs. Sasuke could not believe it; Naruto had come to bring him back. After all that Sasuke said, he had come looking for him.

"Don't worry, Sasuke. I'll take you out of here" Naruto said, trying to deviate from the flames and debris that were constantly falling over them.

When he was about to reach the front door, Naruto got his foot stuck between two rocks. No matter how much he tried, he could not free himself.

Above them, a part of the roof broke. Naruto bent, protecting Sasuke, when burned wood, stones and other debris fell on them.

"Arrg..." Naruto groaned, feeling a sharp pain. A metal chunk had pierced his back. A trickle of blood fell down his mouth.

The building was going to crumble in seconds and Naruto could not free his foot. Realizing that there was only one solution, Naruto pushed Sasuke away from him and threw him out of the building with all the strength he had.

Sasuke fell on the dirt floor and skinned his arms and legs. Wincing in pain, the boy turned to the burning building, hoping that Naruto would came out behind him. However, he did not.

Before Sasuke's horrified eyes, the building collapsed with a big bang.

"TOU-CHAN!"

After the cloud of smoke dissipated, Sasuke stared that the remains of the burning building were just rocks and burnt wood. Ignoring his own wounds, Sasuke ran towards the wreckage.

"Tou-chan!" the child cried at what remained of the building. "Tou-chan! Tou-chan! "

Except the sound of wind and fire, Sasuke did not hear anything.

"Papa..."

Trembling with fear, the boy tried to remove the stones and wooden chunks, but these were very heavy. Shortly thereafter, he felt two hands grab him and pull him away from the building. Sasuke tried to free himself from those who held him; he had to save his Daddy.

"Calm down, boy. We'll take it from here" one man, who Sasuke didn't know, said.

Sasuke realized the presence of several men running towards the wreckage and remove them from the path. Several villagers had seen what had happened and had come to save Naruto.

"Leave this to us" the man reassured him. "We will find him!"

Sasuke looked back at the building's ruins. Tears ran down his cheeks as he watched the villagers in search of Naruto.

"It's my fault..." sobbed the boy."It's my fault ... Please... don't die..."

One man screamed and everyone came to him. Sasuke stretched his neck in an attempt to see as well.

"Bring a gurney" yelled one man.

The group of villagers moved away to let three men, who carried the immobile body of Uzumaki Naruto, pass and laid him on a gurney. Sasuke let go of the arms of the man who was holding him and ran.

"Papa! Papa!" Sasuke yelled, approaching Naruto.

When they saw him, the men stopped Sasuke and covered Naruto with their bodies.

"Don't look boy" one man yelled.

Sasuke could only see one hand and the abdomen of Naruto. There was blood everywhere.

"Is he dead? Is he dead?" Sasuke asked panic-stricken.

"He's still alive... But you better not look, boy. There's nothing you can do for him."

Even so, Sasuke tried to pass by the men. He had to be with his Dad, which was the only thing that mattered.

Someone came, grabbed Sasuke and took him away from Naruto, despite his cries. Several men grab on a gurney and transported the blond ninja to the hospital. The man holding Sasuke followed them with the little boy always shouting, demanding to let him go to Naruto.

When they reached the hospital, Naruto was immediately taken to an operating room while Sasuke was handed to a nurse to treat his skinned arms and legs.

The boy was already exhausted from shouting and let her disinfect his wounds, crying softly.

"It's my fault... it's my fault... it's all my fault..." the child whimpered.

"Why it is your fault, honey?" the nurse asked. "Why were you in that abandoned mansion at this time of night?"

"I ... I ran away..." Sasuke pleaded, wanting to vent to reduce the overwhelming feeling of despair and guilt he felt. "I ran away from home..."

"Why? Did your father hit you? Did he yell at you? "

"No... I asked if I was adopted and he said yes... I said I hated him..." Sasuke felt overwhelmed by remorse. "I ran away from home... to find my real parents... but I couldn't find them. Then, those bad men came and wanted to kill me... I was stuck in the old house because it started burning and my Tou-chan... he came to save me and now... "

Sasuke could not speak more and began to sob and bawl. After saying what he had done, he felt even worse. The nurse tried to calm him down but to no avail. The boy cried to exhaustion.

"He is he gonna die? My Papa?" Sasuke asked when he managed to stop sobbing.

The nurse smiled at him sadly.

"The doctors are doing everything they can to save him. You have to wait until he leaves the operating room okay?"

Sasuke asked her to take him to the operating room but the nurse said he could not enter. Instead, she led him into the hall and sat on a bench with Sasuke, next to the room where Naruto was being operated.

Sasuke got up from the bench, walked to the door of the operating room and went to sit on the bench again. After a while, he got up, walked a little and went back to sit. He just couldn't stand still, he was too nervous.

The nurse, who was with him, had to leave and was replaced by another one. When she asked him if he wanted a glass of water, Sasuke nodded.

"I'll be right back" the nurse said. "Don't go anywhere!"

When the nurse left the hall, Sasuke rose from the bench and stood in front of the operation room, staring at the red light above the door.

"...I believe. What a horrible thing!" said a woman's voice.

"But it's true. Naruto-san could barely save him in time" another woman said.

Sasuke turned away from the door of the operating room and walked towards the voices. Two nurses were chatting in a lounge and drinking coffee. Sasuke leaned against the door and stood listening to them.

"I understand that the boy ran away from home because he discovered he was adopted. Is it true?"

"Apparently... poor Naruto-san had to look for him and ended up in this state. But it was expected that something like this would happened with _that_ child."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't understand how anyone can adopt a child. I don't agree! How can anyone trust and love a child who is not from their blood? Who knows who his biological parents were! They may have been murderers, drug addicts or thieves!"

"But the child is not guilty of its parents' crimes..."

"It's in the blood! Soiled blood! Despite all the love that the adoptive parents give them, the adopted children will never love them as much as their biological parents. Even if the biological parents neglected them, these children would leave their adoptive parents without thinking twice to be with their biological parents. They don't give a damn about their adoptive parents feelings."

Sasuke felt his lip trembling.

"It's not always like that..."

"Of course it is! For the adoptees, the adoptive parents are just a temporary "home" where they have to live until they can return to their "real" family. That's exactly what happened tonight! And now Naruto-san is paying the price for having loved a child who, sooner or later, would reject him. "

Sasuke let himself slip through the door to sit on the floor. His heart was torn by grief.

"If Naruto-san survives, the best thing to do would be to return that kid to where he found him!"

The child got up and ran down the hall. When he got to the bench he laid down, hugging himself.

* * *

_"Sasuke" a voice called._

_Sasuke looked up and saw Naruto in front__ of him. The blond held his hand and helped the boy get up. Then, they started to move through the white corridors of the hospital._

_"Where are we going?" Sasuke asked._

_"I'll take you to your real parents" Naruto replied without staring._

_Before__ Sasuke noticed, they were moving through a street full of houses. Not a sound was heard beyond their footsteps in the gravel._

_"Here" Naruto said, stopping in front of a big mansion._

_The door of the mansion opened__ and two people got out, a man and a woman. Sasuke's real parents!_

_With a cry of joy, the child let go of Naruto's hand and ran into his mother's arms, who hugged and kissed him. His father placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him into the house._

_Sasuke's mother took him to his room. It was huge and was filled with toys!_

_"This is all mine?" the boy asked._

_"It's all yours, dear__" his mother said with a smile._

_Sasuke grabbed a toy and immediately began playing. He enjoyed himself so much that he didn't even realize when it became nighttime._

_"Sasuke!" his mother called. "Come to dinner!"_

_Sasuke ran to the kitchen and sat at the table. His mother stood by the stove while his father read the newspaper._

_When his mother put the dishes on the table and they all exclaimed "itadakimasu" at the same time, Sasuke remembered that Naruto had stayed outside. The child got up from the table in order to fetch him._

_"Where are you going, Sasuke?" his mother asked._

_"I'm going to get Tou-chan. He's outside" the boy said._

_"Why?" his mother replied. "You've got us."_

_"I know. But__..."_

_"He is no longer needed" his father interrupted. "I'm your real father. Forget him!"_

_Sasuke looked at his real parents and the entrance door. He felt as if they were pulling him in opposite directions. He wanted to know his real father, but he didn't want to forget about Naruto._

_"I'll just ask him if he wants to eat dinner with us" Sasuke said, running toward__s the front door._

_"Sasuke!" his parents cried at the same time._

_Sasuke opened the front door and ran outside._

_"Tou-chan!" the child cried._

_However, the street was deserted. Sasuke tried to find Naruto, but he wasn't anywhere._

_"Tou-chan?"_

_Before__ the empty street, Sasuke realized the truth. Naruto was gone._

_"Papa?"_

_Naruto had left because he had been replaced. Sasuke didn't even get to say goodbye to him. He just ran to his real parents and had forgotten about him all afternoon._

_And now Naruto was gone._

_"Papa... come back..."_

_Sasuke__'s real father grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him into the house._

_"I told you to forget him" his father said._

_The front door was shut in front of Sasuke's face._

_"You don'__t need him anymore."_

_

* * *

_

Sasuke woke startled and with his heart pounding. It took several seconds to realize that he had been dreaming while he was asleep on the bench. Someone (most likely the nurse who had been watching over him) had covered him with a blanket.

Sasuke looked back at the door of the operating room, noticing that the red light was off. The operation had ended.

"Oh! You're already up?" the nurse asked, appearing behind him. "You were sleeping so soundly that I thought I better let you rest."

"The operation...?" Sasuke asked.

The nurse knelt down next to Sasuke.

"Everything went well," she said with a smile. "Naruto-san is a very strong and courageous man. He's in his room now... do you want to go to him? "

Sasuke nodded slowly and held the nurse's hand who took him to another area of the hospital. Finally, they stopped near a door and she opened it quietly, pointing Sasuke to go in.

"Try not to make too much noise, okay? He needs rest" the nurse asked, closing the door and leaving.

Sasuke looked at the room and moved forward. Naruto was lying in bed next to a window. As Sasuke walked in his direction, he realized that Naruto was covered in bandages in his hands and neck. He also had a bandage on his right cheek.

Remembering what the nurses had said, Sasuke stopped. He felt confused, sad, angry and terrified all at the same time. He didn't know what to think and was afraid of what would happen to him now.

_"If Naruto-san survives, the best thing to do would be to return that kid to where he found him!"_

Sasuke didn't know what to do...

"Sasuke..."

The black-haired boy stared at the bed with wide eyes. Naruto had awoken and was watching him with his gentle blue eyes.

Sasuke felt an enormous desire to jump into the bed and hug him, but he kept quiet. Things had changed and he didn't feel he had the right to run into Naruto's arms and call him Tou-chan as he always had done. He was afraid of rejection. If his real parents didn't want him, why would Naruto be with him? Obviously he would get rid of him after he nearly died.

Seeing that Sasuke would not come and didn't face him, Naruto decided to call him.

"Sasuke... come here" said Naruto, with a caring smile. "Please..."

A little nervous, Sasuke moved towards Naruto.

"Your wounds... do they hurt?" Naruto asked, noticing the bandages around the boy's arms and legs.

Sasuke shook his head but did not speak. Sighing deeply, Naruto leaned against the cushions. He didn't know what to do, or how to mend the gap that had created between them.

"When...?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto blinked surprised.

"When what?"

Sasuke looked away and grabbed his pants with his hands.

"When are you going to… send me away?"

"Send you away? You want to leave?"

Sasuke turned to stare at Naruto with an intense gaze.

"No! But... you... I'm not..." the child stammered, his heart beating furiously against his ribs. "I'm not your real son... you can send me back."

Naruto took a deep breath and pointed to the chair that was beside his bed.

"Sasuke, come here" the blond said.

A little nervous, Sasuke complied and sat in the chair. Naruto sat on the bed, stretched his arms and took Sasuke in his arms, sitting him in his bed in front of him.

"Gomen'nasai, Sasuke" Naruto apologized, astonishing the child. "Sorry I made you suffer. Sorry didn't tell you the truth earlier; you have every reason to be angry with me."

Sasuke continued to stare at Naruto in confusion. Naruto was the one who should be angry, not him.

"I know you feel sad, hurt and confused" continued Naruto. "You must have many questions. I promise that I will tell you the truth; you deserve to know what happened to you. You can ask me anything."

Sasuke remained silent, staring at Naruto. He had many questions in his head, some about his past and some about his present. However, there was a question that stubbornly came up in his mind.

"Are you going to send me away?" the child asked again, trying to anticipate the answer by looking at Naruto's facial expression. "Do I have to leave?"

Naruto was surprised by the question. Before answering, Naruto landed a hand on the little boy's head and stroked his raven hair, smiling at him reassuringly. Sasuke looked at him stunned, not expecting that demonstration of affection.

"I'm not gonna send you away" Naruto replied tenderly. "I want you with me, Sasuke."

The child felt overwhelmed by a huge feeling of relief. He didn't had to go! He could stay! He didn't lose his home!

Feeling happier, Sasuke tried to get closer to Naruto, but he was still afraid to be pushed away. However, when Naruto opened his arms, Sasuke sat on his lap and hugged back of the only father he ever knew.

Without his main concern, Sasuke put another major issue.

"What about my real parents? Why did they leave me? Why didn't they like me?" Sasuke asked. The boy felt rejected by those anonymous people and it hurt him deeply. "Was it my fault? Did I do something wrong?"

Naruto made Sasuke look him in the eye.

"No, Sasuke. I'm sure your parents loved you very much" Naruto replied.

_"__Since you dedicated your whole life trying to avenge their deaths, I am sure they loved you as much as you loved them, regardless of your father's obsession for power."_

Sasuke remained quiet on Naruto's lap, pressing his small child hands in the blonds' chest.

"So why didn't they stay with me?" the confused child asked.

Naruto tried to think of the best words to tell him, but there was no way to improve that revelation.

"They died when you were very young" Naruto said softly. "I'm sorry, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked down, trying to assimilate the information that Naruto told him. His real parents were dead. On the one hand, he was happy because it meant that he could not be returned to them and this also meant that they had not abandoned him. However, he also felt sad about their deaths. He would never get to know them...

When Naruto noticed that Sasuke had his lip trembling, he held the child against his chest and cradled him as he cried. All he could do was try to protect Sasuke from his pain and try to soothe his grief, while he mourned his parents' death for the second time.

"Shhh… There… There… It's alright. You can cry, Sasuke" Naruto whispered as he hugged the small child. "I'm here with you, son."

When he heard Naruto call him _"son"_, Sasuke embraced him fiercely. He felt sorry for the loss of a part of his identity, but he also felt comforted by knowing that he still had Naruto, his Tou-chan, with him.

When Sasuke stopped crying, Naruto wiped his tears as he had done thousands of times before. Sasuke could not imagine having any other parents or another family. All he wanted was that Naruto was his real father, so he would not have to go through that situation. He wanted to be attached to Naruto! He wanted to have been born from him!

As Sasuke was already soother, Naruto thought it was time to continue with his story. It was better if he told Sasuke the truth instead of find out through someone else. He had the right to know his origins.

"Sasuke... there is one more thing I need to tell you" Naruto said, solemnly. Sasuke looked at him expectantly. "It's... hard to explain. You may get confused, but I want you to know that you can trust me. If you want to ask questions, you can always do it. I'm here to help you."

Sasuke continued to stare at Naruto. What else could he reveal?

Naruto rested his hands on the child's back and looked into his familiar onyx eyes.

"You were born twice, Sasuke."

* * *

**That's it for now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know this is still a bit early, but don't worry. Naruto is going to choose his words and information. **

**See you later!**


	23. Family

**This is probably my last "fast" update. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**In Japan one becomes legally an adult at 20.**

**I'm writting the story assuming that you are reading the Naruto manga up to the current chapter each week, if not, then be warned for spoilers from time to time, such as Karin's fate. **

**SPOILER: **Sasuke stabbed Karin in order to pierce Danzo's heart saying she was a burden if he was taken hostage, she almost died if it wasn't for Team 7 who took her to Konoha, Sasuke was gonna kill her as a loose end. The rest of Taka doesn't know because they were trapped in the Land of Iron because Sasuke abandoned them there. At this point Sasuke is completly ruthless and would kill anyone who stays in his way of revenge. He also implanted Itachi's eyes. **END OF SPOILER**

**I'm not a Sasuke hater, this is the truth of what's happening in the manga. I hope Kishimoto-sensei will redeem him.**

**Oh! BTW, sometimes I go around my previous chapters to improve them. Some of them were changed so check them out if you want.**

**

* * *

**

**Family**

家族_(Kazoku)_

Sasuke opened his mouth in disbelief at what Naruto had said.

"I was born... twice?" the child asked, very confused.

Naruto tried to find the right words. He had no idea how he could prove such a thing to a four year old child.

"Yes" Naruto nodded.

"How? I don't get it."

"You were born for the first time a long time ago," Naruto continued, hoping not to confuse the child. "You were born to your real parents. They loved you very much but they died when you were a little boy. After that, you grew up and became an adult. "

Sasuke opened his black eyes with astonishment and disbelief. How could that be?

"I... I was a grown-up?"

"Yes"

"But… I'm just four! I'm not a grown-up!"

"That's true" Naruto said. "You're just four years old now, but you were an adult once."

The young boy stared at Naruto at a loss.

"What do you mean, Tou-chan?"

"You grew up and became an adult. But unfortunately, many bad things happened and your heart and your head got sick."

Sasuke continued to listen to the story. His immature mind was not able to understand the whole thing, but he believed in Naruto. The boy placed a hand on his chest, but he could only fell his heart beating, he didn't feel sick. His head felt alright too.

"My heart and my head were sick?" Sasuke asked. "Why?"

"You were very sad, angry and lonely, and that made you sick."

Sasuke had heard the word "heartbroken" before and he knew it was something very awful. Was that it? Did his heart break and made him sick?

"Was my heart… broken?" he asked.

Naruto was slightly surprised by the child's choice of words. It was absolutely correct.

"Yes" Naruto whispered softly. "Your heart was broken with sadness."

"Why? Was I sad because no one would help me get better?" the boy asked, feeling dejected again.

Naruto lowered his blue eyes, downhearted.

"No… Many people tried to help you, but couldn't no matter how much they tried. Time went by and you got even worse. No one was able to save you."

Sasuke tried to imagine how sick he must have been, but it was hard to. When he felt sad, it hurt… both his chest and his head because he's always upset. He must have been sad for a long time to get sick from it… Maybe he was so sick that no doctor could heal him.

"What happened to me then?"

"You had a big brother" Naruto revealed, surprising the boy. "He loved you very much and wanted you to be happy. So, before he died, he decided to save you no matter what. He was a ninja. "

The boy's eyes widened. It was amazing that he had a big brother, but he was a ninja? That was so cool!

"A ninja? My Nii-san was a ninja?" Sasuke asked, with a mixture of disbelief and excitement. "A real ninja? With powers and everything?"

"Your brother was a true shinobi" Naruto explained, not shocked with the boy's enthusiasm. "He was very strong and cool but also very kind. He loved you with all his heart and wished you had a happy life."

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's shirt.

"He died too? My Nii-san?" the child asked.

"Yes... he died like a ninja, protecting his little brother and his village. He was a great man! But you were so unhappy and suffering so much that he would not die without saving you. So he used a forbidden jutsu on you, a kinjutsu."

Sasuke knew a jutsu was ninja magic and he heard about kinjutsu from the stories too. They were very dangerous jutsus that ninjas couldn't use. And his big brother had used one on him?

"And what did he do?"

"He turned you back into a baby and made you be born a second time" Naruto confessed, before the astonished gaze of the child in his arms.

"He… turned me into a baby?"

Naruto nodded slowly, while the little boy tried to understand what he had just said.

"Why?" Sasuke asked. "Why did he do that?"

"Because you were in pain and your brother wanted you to grow up happy and loved. That's why he decided to make you be born a second time. Like the phoenix, he made you turn back into a baby instead of letting you die."

"I'm... like a phoenix?" Sasuke asked.

"Kinda" Naruto answered.

Sasuke tried to assimilate all these new information. He had been an adult who was turned into a baby by his brother's ninja magic to save him. The boy tried to remember anything about his past, but failed.

"Why can't I remember my Nii-san?"

"When your brother turned you into a baby, he wanted you to be a normal baby. That's why you can't remember. "

"Oh..." Sasuke whispered. "I'm not a grown-up now?"

The blond noticed some fear in the kid's eyes.

"No… you are just like any other little boy."

"I… I don't wanna…"

"Hmm?"

Sasuke was terrified. He didn't feel like a grown-up, it was weird! Sasuke was a kid! He liked how he was; he didn't want to become a grown-up now! But what if the ninja magic spell his brother casted broke?

"I no wanna be a grown-up" Sasuke said, looking at Naruto as if he was pleading. "I wanna be little… I don't wanna be a grown-up now. Please… don't change me back!"

As the boy clung to Naruto so desperately, the young ninja quickly reassured him "I can't change you back into a grown-up. No one can! You're going to grow up like the other children, Sasuke."

The raven stared at Naruto.

"I can stay a little boy?"

"Sure you can. Actually, you can only be called an adult when you're 20. Until then, you're a kid."

Sasuke nodded and understood. He was a little boy and not a grown-up! But… what about his birth? Did this mean that his second birth was magical? Was he born from inside the belly of a new mommy?

"How I was born… the second time? I had another Kaa-chan?" the child asked.

"Aaah..." Naruto scratched his neck. "Well... not exactly."

"So how was I born? I didn't have a Mama and a Papa?"

"Ah... you had, sort of. Your brother wanted you to have a family to take care of you... so..."

"And who are they?" Sasuke interrupted eagerly. "Who are my new parents?"

Naruto smiled a little self-conscious.

"Just me."

Sasuke's eyes widened in amazement.

"Just… you?"

"I think... I think your brother liked me... I mean, he trusted me" Naruto hastened to add. "The last thing he said before dying was to take care of you."

"So... he made you stay with me?" Sasuke asked feeling unwanted.

"No, he didn't make me. He asked me to take care of you, but he didn't asked me be your father" Naruto said softly. "Your brother didn't choose me, nor did I choose you. You're the one who chose me, Sasuke."

"I chose you?" Sasuke asked in astonishment."How?"

Naruto smiled at him before answering.

"You called me _Papa_."

"I… I called you that?" Sasuke asked.

"That was your first word!" Naruto said, remembering the scene. "I was very surprised. Since you were born, you only cooed and babbled and then, all of a sudden, you called me _Papa_!"

"Since I was born?" the child asked, a little confused.

"Well… when your brother made you be born the second time, I was the only one there" Naruto explained with an amused smile. "You were an earsplitting little thing. The first time I saw you, I thought you looked like a bald puppy!"

"Hey!" Sasuke squealed affronted. "I don't look like a puppy!"

"Ah! Ah! Sorry" Naruto laughed. "But you were really tiny! I was scared to pick you up because I thought I could hurt or drop you. Still… you were crying a lot! And you were freezing too since you were naked."

Sasuke blushed slightly.

"I was naked? Why?"

"All babies are born naked, silly" Naruto replied. "I had to take of my jacket and cover you with it like a blanket."

"I was really that tiny?"

"You were this big" Naruto showed with his hands.

The boy was amazed on how small he had been.

"So… you were there the day I was born?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes. I held you in my arms and cuddled you so you could get warm. When you stopped crying I took you to Jii-chan and Baa-chan sennin and we lived there for awhile. When you started to grow, you became cuter! Every toad in Mount Myōboku wanted to play with you because you were so cute and fun. We all loved you!"

Sasuke remembered playing with the big frogs and smiled. He also realized that he had been born in front of Naruto and he had taken care of him since that. But he couldn't understand how he chose him and what that meant.

"But… your brother's jutsu was not finished" Naruto continued, making Sasuke face him once again with wide eyes. "He turned you into a newborn baby but you needed parents. You had to choose them… and you chose me."

"What happened? What did the ninja magic do?"

"The ninja magic made me your new Papa."

Sasuke was stunned.

"My… my… you are…" the child stammered. He couldn't believe it…

"The ninja magic was used to adopt you" Naruto carried on. "But it was a… special adoption. It linked us like a father and son."

"Linked?"

"It means we're united, you and me. It's true that you don't look like me, but I also gave you something of mine. "

"What?"

Naruto put his thumb in his mouth and bitted it until it started bleeding. Sasuke stared at the red blood that ran down his finger.

"My blood" Naruto said.

"Blood?"

"The blood inside you is the same as mine" Naruto explained. "Your brother's jutsu was completed because I gave you my blood. Your first father gave you your body, I gave you my blood. I guess you can say I'm your second father."

Sasuke was astonished. His adoption was special; he had Naruto's blood inside him. They were united.

"Do you understand now, Sasuke? I didn't choose my son; my son was the one who chose me. I'm so lucky to have you as my child! I'm so happy to be your second Tou-chan!" Naruto exclaimed while smiling caringly.

The raven haired boy was speechless. Naruto wanted him! He was happy to have Sasuke as his son. His son…

"You may not have been born like the other kids" Naruto continued. "Your birth was different, it's true. But… you **were born**. You were born to me 4 years and 8 months ago, at sunrise on July 23rd. That's when I became your father! I don't care you and I don't look alike. I don't care if you behave badly or hurt me… I'll always be your father!"

A ray of sun illuminated the bed where Sasuke and Naruto were lying. With the sun's rays, Naruto seemed even more dazzling.

The blond grabbed Sasuke by his arms and pushed him closer.

"That's why I won't leave you and I'll never let you push me away. We're a family! A _**real**_ family!"

The child felt his eyes burning as he got closer to tears.

"Real…? It's… real?" the little boy asked.

"It is real" Naruto answered with a reassuring voice. "I don't love you as if you were my son, Sasuke" he placed a warm hand on Sasuke's head. "I love you because you **are** my son!"

Overcome with emotion, Sasuke jumped into Naruto's arms… his father's arms and started to cry. He was so happy, so comforted. The little boy felt wanted and loved. He felt he had a family.

"Papa! Papa! Papa!" the child exclaimed over and over.

Sasuke didn't care whether he was an adult or not, or if he was born like the other children. All he knew, all that mattered was that Uzumaki Naruto was his father. His real Dad! He could be his second father, but was his real Tou-chan.

The boy was relieved behind words. His family was real, it wasn't fake. His Daddy cherished him and wasn't going to leave him. Sasuke could have been born by ninja magic, but he was born to his Tou-chan!

Naruto hugged the child while the latter cried with his face leaning on his shoulder. Sasuke hasn't called him _Papa_ since he was three years old.

The blond knew that he had opened a _window_. Sasuke would eventually want to know details about his parents, on Itachi and on his first life. The answers would not be easy to provide, but Naruto knew he had to reveal the truth even if it was gradually. If Sasuke wanted to know the truth, he would be honest with him.

But at that moment, Sasuke just wanted to know that he had a real family. The boy needed that comfort to be able to carry on with his life. When the time came, they'll face Uchiha Sasuke's darkness and crimes... together.

* * *

Naruto could go home the next day, to the doctors' astonishment. Most of his injuries had been healed and disappeared, courtesy of Kyuubi.

The young ninja moved through the streets of the village, with Sasuke piggybacking. The child had been a little nervous about the possibility of the "bad guys" re-appearing to kill him.

"Don't worry" Naruto assured him. "They were all arrested. The orphan boy told everything to the police and the damiyo sent guards to get them. They'll be in jail for a long time."

"Really?" Sasuke asked. "The orphan boy did it?"

"Yes. He is now a great hero of the village. A couple is taking care of him now, they will adopt him. "

"They'll be his new parents?" Sasuke asked curiously.

"I think so."

While father and son approached the house, Naruto thought about the letter he had written a few hours to Tsunade, explaining everything that had happened and his conversation with Sasuke. When the Hokage had answered him to send a toad to get her, Naruto was surprised and somewhat confused.

The blond climbed the stairs to their apartment and opened the door slowly.

"NARUTO!"

The blond trembled with fear and jumped back. Inside the house, with an angry face and a menacing look, Tsunade was waiting for him impatiently.

"Ba… Baa-chan!" Naruto stuttered.

Sasuke looked at the doctor without understanding what was going on.

"What are you doing here, Baa-chan?" Naruto asked.

"Honestly! Both of you give me more headaches than all the villagers combined!" Tsunade muttered. "What part of _"beware" _you do not get it, gaki?"

"It was an accident" Naruto apologized. "It's the first time I've been in the hospital for years!"

"You think that matters?" Tsunade snorted.

"Tsunade Baa-chan... it was my fault" Sasuke muttered. "Tou-chan was hurt to save me. Don't yell at him..."

Tsunade's eyes calmed when she looked at the visibly repentant child.

"I know that, Sasuke" the Hokage said, sighing. "I hope that have served you as a lesson. You could have died! Don't you dare repeat that blunder, understood?"

"Hai Baa-chan..." the boy whispered, lowering his eyes.

"Baa-chan, don't tell me you came all the way here just to scold me and Sasuke" Naruto said.

Tsunade crossed her arms over her large breasts.

"Your right" she admitted. "As much as I like to stay here and scold you all afternoon, I came here for something else."

Naruto landed Sasuke on the lobby's floor. The child looked at the doctor in search of her purse, where she used to always bring syringes.

"Baa-chan… do I have to take a shot?" Sasuke asked, fearful.

Tsunade laughed.

"Not today. After having been in that hospital, I think the two of you have seen enough doctors and needles" Tsunade pulled out a bundle from her bag. "Actually, I brought you a present, Sasuke."

The boy ran to the doctor and grabbed the present, opening it up full of joy.

"Wow! Kunai and shurikens!" Sasuke exclaimed, opening the box full of ninja toy weapons. "Tou-chan! Look what Baa-chan gave me!"

Sasuke ran to his father, showing him the box full of wooden toys. Naruto knelt down and grabbed the box.

"It's pretty cool" Naruto said.

"Yeah! Now I can be a real ninja like my... " Sasuke suddenly fell silent. His father had told him that its magic adoption was a secret, so he could not talk about it to anyone, not even about his ninja Nii-san.

"It's okay" Naruto assured, turning to Tsunade. "Baa-chan also knows how you were born. She knows about the secret."

"Really, Baa-chan?" Sasuke asked.

"I know everything, Sasuke. Your father can't hide anything from me" Tsunade said, looking slyly towards Naruto.

"However," Naruto said in a suddenly harsh voice. "You'll not be able to play with your new toy!"

"Oh! Tou-chan, no! I wanna play!" the child pleaded, stretching out his little hands in a vain attempt to grab the toys. "Give me my toys! Come on!"

"No" Naruto said, flatly. "You're grounded, remember?"

Tsunade stared at the two with a confused look; she had never seen Naruto so strict before. He really looked like a parent.

"Grounded?" the blonde Hokage asked.

Sasuke pouted.

"Tell Baa-chan why you are grounded, Sasuke" Naruto commanded.

Sasuke stared at the floor and started to give small kicks on the carpet.

"Because I ran away from home and almost died" the child answered, embarrassed.

"And?"

"And because I scared my Tou-chan."

"That's right. Because of that, this young man is grounded for a month" Naruto said. "Until then, you cannot play with your new toy."

"Eh? But that's too long! C'mon, Tou-chan!"

"I said no."

"Baa-chan..." Sasuke whispered, looking for sympathy in the doctor.

"You heard your father, Sasuke. If he says you're grounded, you have to obey him."

Pouting, Sasuke went to his room, while Tsunade and Naruto headed for the living room and sat at the table, but only after Naruto had locked the front door with his key.

"I'm impressed, Naruto" the Hokage said. "I never imagined you'd be able to be strict."

"I have to be. Sasuke needs some discipline from time to time. I'm a parent; I have to act like one!"

"Hmpf... Maybe you'll end up being a good Hokage after all. You know when to be tough, and that's important. If that kid gets used to doing everything he wants, you'll never be able to put up with him when he reaches puberty."

"I know! I remember Sasuke when he was 12 years old" said Naruto. "Now that I think about it... he never showed any respect for his teachers. Not even to Kakashi-sensei!"

"He will be a difficult teenager" Tsunade said with an amused smile. "You better be prepared! There will be screaming, slamming doors and many angry discussions! Ah... adolescence…"

Naruto grimaced.

"Baa-chan... I don't want to think about it... It makes me feel old! When Sasuke is ten, I'll be 27! When he's 13, I'll be 30! Yikes! Now that I think about it... when Sasuke is 17 again, I'll be 34! "

"And you think that 34 years is being old?" Tsunade muttered, feeling an elderly woman. When Sasuke is 17 years old again, she would be 72!

"Well... it's hard to imagine me at thirty" Naruto admitted. "I mean... I'm still 21..."

"Naruto... I thought you had grown. But you are still a kid!"

Naruto laughed and scratched his neck.

"How is everyone in Konoha?" the blond asked.

"They're fine. The village is now completely rebuilt" Tsunade explained. "Now we can focus on missions. They all miss you, Naruto."

"I know... I miss them too, and Konoha."

Naruto never told Tsunade that his friends had almost found him and were still looking for him. He didn't want to put them in trouble by exposing them to the Hokage.

"Well... back to business" Tsunade said, taking several papers from her bag. "I did what you asked me and I must warn you that I had too much work not to raise suspicions" the Hokage handed an envelope to Naruto. "How is Sasuke reacting to what you told him?"

"Okay, for now... He was ecstatic when he discovered that Itachi was a ninja. He loves ninjas!" Naruto exclaimed, putting the envelope in a drawer.

"I've noticed," said Tsunade with a smile.

"I think he was also impressed that his second birth was with _ninja magic_."

"I see... I also want to talk to you about this… _magic,_ Naruto" Tsunade said showing him two medical reports.

"What is this, Baa-chan?" Naruto asked, looking at the reports.

"I decided to do a genetic examination on Sasuke" the Hokage explained.

"A genetic examination?"

"Yes" Tsunade showed him one of the reports where, under a very confusing technical text, was the picture of Sasuke with 12 years of age. "Last time I was with you, I took a blood sample and cut some of Sasuke's hair. This exam was done with the kid's hair; his genetic code corresponds to Uchiha Sasuke."

"Ok ... that was kind of expected, Baa-chan. He _is_ Uchiha Sasuke. "

"Not exactly" Tsunade showed another document. "This exam was done to his blood."

Naruto looked at the exam's conclusion.

_**"The analyzed blood sample corresponds to a male individual. The absence of anomalies in the blood sample indicates that the subject is healthy. Identity unknown. "**_

_"Identity unknown?"_ Naruto asked. "What are you talking about? He's Sasuke!

"Genetically, he isn't." Tsunade explained. "What the Shiraha clan's leader said is the purest of truths. Sasuke's body has not changed a thing with the jutsu, but his blood did. Sasuke is a chimera; he has two different sets of DNA. "

"And what does that mean, Baa-chan?"

"Well... I was curious when I saw that Sasuke's blood did not match its previous genetic code, so I decided to do some more tests" Tsunade pulled two documents and put one in front of Naruto. "This test was done with a blood sample from the _original_ Sasuke, when he was admitted in Konoha's hospital."

Naruto looked at the document, open-mouthed. In the middle of the exam was a table with lots of letters and numbers, comparing Uchiha Sasuke with Uchiha Fugaku. It was a paternity test.

"This test is positive," Tsunade said. "No surprises there. But when tested with a sample of _present_ Sasuke, the test was negative."

"Negative?"

"Precisely... The DNA does not match, so I decided to do a third test" Tsunade gave Naruto another paternity test.

The test compared a child X with Uzumaki Naruto. The ninja's blue eyes widened as he read the conclusion:

_**"The **__**probability of Uzumaki Naruto being the biological father of the child X is 99.9999%. Therefore it is practically proven that Uzumaki Naruto is the child's biological father."**_

"Baa-chan... this is ... what does this mean?" Naruto asked confused.

"The blood of the child X, in other words, Sasuke, has your DNA" the doctor explained. "The adoption really was _magic_ Naruto. Your blood was not only mixed with Sasuke's, but he assimilated your genetic code into his" Tsunade smiled at him. "He is your biological child."

* * *

**Here it is! I guess Tsunade's tests didn't reveal anything knew, they just proved that Naruto's DNA was mixed with Sasuke's. They are parent and child... in blood at least. And no, Sasuke's body will not change, because only his blood has Naruto's DNA. His body is still Uchiha Sasuke's, and he still has the Sharingan.**

**I decided to do the paternity test for other reasons that you'll see in the following chapters... Hehehe!**

**As for the revelation, Naruto couldn't tell the whole truth because Sasuke is still to young to understand. And since is only four (almost five) he faced the situation using his magical thinking.**

**If a fan theory that is going around the forums turns up to be true (some believe that Sasuke is Izuna's, Madara's brother, clone!) then I'm totally screwed. SPOILER: **they were right when they said Kushina was the second Kyuubi jinchuuriki, who knew? Huh! **END OF SPOILER.**

**My own personal theory: SPOILER- **I think the Uchiha Clan informed Madara when Naruto was being born so he could remove the Kyuubi from Kushina and destroy Konoha so they could take over. Proof: Mikoto (Sasuke's mother) was the last person who talked to Kushina about her pregnancy; Sasuke's parents were not home during the attack, leaving their 5 year old son, Itachi, with his 2 month old brother, Sasuke, home alone; no Uchiha's were seen fighting the Kyuubi or defending the village. If this turns out to be true, I can understand Itachi's comtempt for his clan. **END OF SPOILER.**

**********Well, see you guys later!**  



	24. Fever

**Here it is! This chapter is a character development one. There will be more action in the following chapters. **

**Be prepared for a little_ folie a deux_ (and no! It's not anything sexual you perverts XD)**

**BTW, Kakashi means "Scarecrow". Aho means "idiot" and is also an onomatopoeia for the crows cawing in Japan.**

**You'll understand ^_^**

**

* * *

**

**Fever**

発熱 (_Hatsunetsu_)

Sasuke asked every day when was his punishment over. Naruto was forced to pick up a calendar and mark the day with a red circle.

"This is the day that your punishment ends" the blond said to the impatient child. "Every day we delete a calendar day. Your punishment is over when I scratch the red circle. "

The boy nodded and spent the whole month staring at the calendar, getting more excited as the "scratches" approached the red circle. When the "big day" arrived, the child cried of joy when he saw the box with the ninja toy weapons over the kitchen table. Grabbing the box, Sasuke ran to his room and spent all day playing ninja.

Naruto was in the living room. Upon hearing the child's shouts and laughter, the blond ninja smiled. Sasuke was living the happiest days of his life. There was no anger, fear or hatred. There was no need to fight enemies who wanted to manipulate him. He was just a child, a child free to be whatever he wanted and not a weapon forced to fight for revenge and hatred.

Sasuke no longer lived in a world of darkness.

Naruto walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out a book she had recently bought _"The Basics of Ninjutsu."_ Soon, Sasuke would be old enough to learn to be a ninja. If they were in Konoha, Naruto would take him to the Academy and his senseis would take charge of his education. As they could not return to Konoha, Naruto was responsible.

Teaching had never been the Naruto's specialty (well ... anything that involved a lot of brain activity was not his specialty) and teaching was harder than he imagined. He had to know how to explain how chakra worked, how to summon it, explain the difference between the various types of jutsus, the name and use of ninja weapons...

Naruto sighed... he would have to study harder than when he was in the Academy.

* * *

Sasuke completely messed up the room during his day of fun. During the month in which he couldn't play with the toys that Baa-chan had given him, he imagined what he would do with them and what games would he play.

Now that he could play with his ninja weapons, he had built a fort with the cubes, had fought against the monsters who wanted to invade his hard (in fact were his stuffed animals), hidden from enemies under his bed and thrown his shurikens against targets.

During his games, Sasuke pretended he had two teammates with him and they all fought together. One was a very goofy boy who was always getting into trouble; the other was a loud and bossy girl.

Sometimes they were very annoying, but Sasuke liked them. The girl was very smart and boy was fun to be with. Together they were the best team ever!

_"Friends"_ Sasuke thought with a smile. _"They're my friends."_

Together with his imaginary friends, Sasuke threw himself onto the bed and wrestled with the pillow that he pretended to be a very strong enemy with a giant sword. The boy grabbed the enemy / cushion and threw it against the door... at the precise moment his father entered the room.

"Tou-chan!"

The pillow slid through Naruto's face, who stared at his son while scratching his nose.

"Wow... you got a really strong arm," the blond said, massaging the sore nose. "It hurts..."

"Sorry, Tou-chan. It was an accident... I was fighting against an enemy ninja" the child explained, getting down the bed. His Daddy had told him he could not jump on the bed.

Naruto looked at the room. It was total chaos! The bed sheets were on the floor and the toys were scattered all over the place.

"Sasuke... you are a real hurricane" Naruto said, scratching his neck. "It seems there was a war in this room."

Sasuke looked at the messy room. He had been so excited that that he had littered it!

"Gomen... Tou-chan" the child apologized.

Naruto sighed and grabbed a wooden kunai that was on the floor. It had been painted gray like a real kunai. A perfect toy for those who wanted to pretend they were ninjas.

"So there was a spectacular battle here and you didn't call me?" Naruto asked, surprising his son. "Bah! I also wanted to fight! "

"You want... you want to play with me?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto smiled at him and put himself in position to attack with the wooden kunai in his right hand.

"Of course I do! Come on! Show me what you are made of... ninja. "

Laughing with joy, Sasuke grabbed another kunai and threw himself against Naruto. Shortly thereafter, the two were wrestling on the floor and tickling each other.

After supper, Naruto helped Sasuke clear up all the toys in their rightful place and get ready to go to sleep. When Sasuke was in his pajamas, with his teeth and face washed, the boy jumped into bed and put himself under the sheets and blanket. He had to go to bed early because he had to go to kindergarten in the morning and his Daddy had to work.

Remembering the kindergarten, Sasuke felt suddenly sad. The day before they had been talking about what they wanted to be when they grew up during class. Kenji wanted to be a guard, Akito wanted to be an artist, Junpei wanted to be an actor and Ryo wanted to be a doctor. When Sasuke said he wanted to be a ninja, the other children had laughed at him. They said it was impossible and that he was stupid. Some boys had said that the ninjas were all fake and they were just lying and deceiving people. One girl had even said that the ninjas of the stories no longer existed.

Sasuke had felt like an idiot and almost cried. They had mocked his dream.

"Tou-chan?" the boy whispered.

"Hm?"

"You think... You think ninjas are fake?"

Naruto blinked and sat on his son's bed.

"Why do you say that, Sasuke?"

"It's just... I said I wanted to be a ninja when I grew up and the other kids made fun of me... They said that there are no real ninjas and that it is all make-believe..."

"Really?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke moved closer to his father and leaned his head against his belly.

"They also said I'm stupid... and that my dream is stupid too..."

Naruto remembered very well when he stated his dream to become Hokage at the Academy. He remembered the sadness and humiliation he felt when his classmates laughed at him and how no one supported him in that dream.

He had felt like such a loser.

The blond ninja smiled and patted his son's black hair.

"I don't think it's a stupid dream. Actually, I believe that ninjas really exist. And the real ones are even better than in the stories!"

Sasuke lifted his head and stared at his father's eyes.

"Really?"

"Of course! I saw them. "

"You saw them? Real ninjas? "

"Real ninjas."

"And my Nii-san? He was a real ninja too? "

"Oh yes! Your Nii-san was one of the best ninja I've ever seen. "

Sasuke went to Naruto's lap; pulled the sheets up and hugged his Daddy's belly.

"What about me? Can I be a ninja?" he asked.

"I'm sure you'll be a great ninja."

"You think so, Daddy?"

"I believe in you" Naruto said, patting the child's back.

Sasuke smiled and curled up against his Daddy's warm body, grabbing his shirt with his little hands. A few minutes later, he fell asleep and dreamed he was a very strong and cool ninja, starting a new mission with his two teammates.

* * *

When Sasuke became a dead weight in his arms, Naruto stood up and tucked the sheets and blanket over his sleeping son.

While preparing to go to bed Naruto felt a little feeble. His legs and arms hurt... he felt cold despite having a coat on.

_"__I must be tired"_ the young ninja thought, getting into bed. _"A good night's sleep and I'll be as good as new."_

Still shaking with cold, Naruto lay in bed and pulled the blanket over himself.

* * *

Unlike what was usual, Sasuke woke up by himself. Normally, his father would open the curtains to wake him up with the morning light and shake him until Sasuke was up. But this time, Sasuke woke up alone in his dark room.

The child sat on the bed, yawned and rubbed his eyes. He had a funny dream! He dreamed that he and his team had to chase a cat that escaped from its owner. They followed him everywhere, but the cat was too fast. When his goofy friend got him, the cat scratched his face.

"Baka" Sasuke said, thinking of his teammate with an amused smile.

The boy jumped up, opened the bedroom door and ran to the kitchen.

"Tou-chan?" Sasuke called but Naruto was not in the kitchen preparing breakfast as usual.

Puzzled, the child looked in the living room, but the latter was also empty.

"Tou-chan?" Sasuke continued to call. "Where are you?"

Sasuke was confused. His father never left him alone at home. When the little boy returned to the corridor, he realized that Naruto's bedroom door was still closed. Sasuke walked to the door and opened it.

Naruto's room was still dark and the light from the hall lit dimly Naruto's figure still lying in bed sleeping.

"Tou-chan… are you sleeping?" Sasuke asked approaching the bed and putting a hand on his father's shoulder. "Tou-chan, wake up. We're gonna be late..."

Naruto growled in his sleep but refused to awaken. Sasuke climbed onto the bed and continued to shake him. For a moment, Sasuke remembered the foolish expression of his imaginary friend. His father was a bit like him actually.

"C'mon! Wake up, Tou-chan!" the boy insisted. "Time to wake up, usuratonkachi."

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and stared at Sasuke with his eyes still hazy due to drowsiness. His head was spinning and his body hurt all over as if he had been given a beating.

"Mmmm... I'm awake, teme" Naruto muttered, sitting in bed. He felt so tired... it should still be early.

"Tou-chan, you forgot to wake up" Sasuke said, watching his father rubbing his face. "We'll be late."

Naruto looked at his watch. It was after eleven o'clock in the morning!

"Damn!" Naruto mumbled, getting up with a start. However, a strong dizziness almost made him fall to the ground and Naruto was forced to sit on the bed once more, panting.

Sasuke realized that something was wrong. His father was very pale and his forehead was full of sweat. He was also breathing oddly.

"Tou-chan? What is it?"

Naruto opened his mouth to answer but wave nausea made him bend over his stomach.

"Urrrg ..." Naruto moaned and ran out the bedroom to the bathroom, where he vomited in the toilet. Sasuke followed Naruto to the bathroom and was paralyzed by the jamb, watching his Daddy on his knees, leaning next to the toilet vomiting and coughing.

"Tou-chan... what's wrong?" the child asked, feeling overcome by fear.

Naruto did not respond and continued to vomit. Sasuke started to shake and felt his eyes filling with tears. Daddy had never been so sick before, he looked so awful...

"Tou-chan... Papa... are you sick?"

Naruto finished throwing up, but remained, panting, beside the toilet. Grabbing a piece of toilet paper he wiped his mouth and chin, sitting on the tiled floor in the bathroom.

"Ah ... that was really bad," Naruto muttered, feeling very weak but a little more relieved from his stomach. "I think I'm dying..."

Naruto lifted his head as he heard a wail, finally focusing on Sasuke. The boy was clinging to the door of the bathroom, shaking like green grass, with tears running down his cheeks.

"Papa... you're dying?" the child sobbed, with his lip trembling.

Naruto realized what he had just said and cursed himself mentally.

"No. No. No. It's okay, Sasuke" Naruto rushed to say. "I was just joking... I was not speaking seriously. Papa's sorry. "

Sasuke turned away from the door and moved towards Naruto.

"But you're very sick..." Sasuke muttered. Naruto stretched his arms and Sasuke didn't even hesitate to run to his father's lap, hugging him.

"Shh... There... There... Papa's okay, Sasuke. I'm just a little sick" Naruto reassured him, rubbing his son's small back. "It's just a little fever. I'll be fine in no time."

Naruto prepared breakfast and took a pill. He was not going to work in that condition, so he asked Sasuke to play quietly in his room and went to lie down in bed. As he withdrew the thermometer under his armpit, Naruto muttered quietly.

"38.5 º C? No wonder I feel a wreck... "

Naruto covered himself with his sheets and tried to sleep.

In the next room, Sasuke was trying to play with his toys but he could not forget that his Daddy was ill. Once in a while, he got up and went to Naruto's room only to make sure that he was breathing.

The boy wanted to help his father get better but he didn't know what to do. If he knew how to write, he would send a letter to Baa-chan for her to come to their house, but didn't know...

"Tou-chan... I wanna help..." Sasuke muttered.

Suddenly, Sasuke remembered that when people were sick they usually drank tea. Excited, the child ran to the kitchen.

"Tea... Tea... how do you make tea?" Sasuke looked at kitchen trying to figure out how to make tea. "Water! I need water! "

Opening the fridge, the boy grabbed a water bottle. Then he dragged a chair and leaned it to the counter, rising up the chair with the water bottle in his hand and placed it on top of the kitchen sink.

"What now?" Sasuke asked, looking at the cabinets above him. "Maybe there's some tea in there!"

Climbing up the kitchen sink, Sasuke opened the cabinets and tried to search the tea bags. However, by clinging to a shelf it broke up and all the contents of the cabinet fell to the ground. One of the rice and flour packages opened when they fell to the ground, scattering the contents all across the floor.

"No!" Sasuke groaned.

Not noticing where he was going, Sasuke kicked the dishes on top of sink and they fell to the floor with a huge bang. To make matters worse, the dishes hit the water bottle that also swung by the sink and fell to the ground, causing the lid to jump and soaked ground with water, rice and flour.

"No! No! "Sasuke cried, appalled at the mess he made.

Naruto awoke distressed and was immediately in a defensive position. Thinking of thieves, the ninja ran to the source of the noise and came thundering in the kitchen.

"What's that... OH!" Naruto yelled, slipping in the jumble that was on the ground and falling on the flour and rice porridge.

"Tou-chan!" Sasuke groaned, still on top of the kitchen sink.

Naruto raised his face slowly, which was completely filthy with white goo dripping down his face.

"Why is this always happening to me, dattebayo?"

At that moment, the only sack of sugar that remained on the shelf fell right in the blond's head.

Outside, a crow flew through the sky, cawing.

"Aho! Aho! Aho! "

* * *

Half an hour later, Naruto had just finished showering and was wrapped in a towel and drying his hair. He still felt very ill and the fever did not seem to have lowered. All that action had not done any good either.

"Tou-chan?" asked a little voice at the bathroom's door.

Naruto turned and saw Sasuke half hidden behind the door with a worried expression on his face.

"I'm sorry, Tou-chan..." Sasuke muttered with flushed cheeks.

Naruto turned off the hairdryer and approached the little raven.

"Sasuke, why did you mess up the kitchen? This isn't like you. "

"I just wanted... I just wanted to help you get better..." the boy stammered.

"Huh?"

"I wanted to make you a cup of tea... but I broke the shelf without meaning to. It was an accident... sorry, Papa."

Naruto smiled at him. It was hard to believe that this kind and innocent child had been a criminal, which made Naruto regret again not having been able to save Sasuke from all that hatred that corrupted him in his first life.

"I'm not angry with you" Naruto said. "You were just trying to help me, right? Thank you."

Sasuke stared at his father's blue eyes.

"Really? You're not angry? "

"No! We'll clean the kitchen when I'm better, okay? "

"Ok..." Sasuke muttered, still feeling guilty for having caused so much trouble. He just wanted to help Tou-chan getting better but only managed to make things worse. "Is there anything I can do? How can I help, Tou-chan? "

Naruto chuckled and placed a hand on Sasuke's head.

"Stay with me" the blond ninja said.

"Stay ... with you?" Sasuke repeated without understanding what his Daddy meant.

"Stay close to me and I'll be a lot better."

"That's it?" the child asked.

"That's all I need."

* * *

That night, they both went to bed after eating instant ramen for dinner. Naruto took another pill; he couldn't lower the fever and was feeling increasingly worse. If he continued like this, he would write to Tsunade. He had already changed his pajamas twice because of the sweat and felt his head throbbing painfully in his skull.

While trying to fall asleep, Naruto found himself thinking how he had never seen Sasuke being so nice during the Academy or in the missions. In fact, he had never really known him before discovering that his clan had been massacred. Would Sasuke have been like that his first four years of his first life? If so, the loss of his family should have destroyed him from within, erasing all traces of the person who he could have been.

The hatred twisted his heart and soul, until Sasuke became a shadow of his former himself.

As he fell asleep, Naruto recalled how he was unable to reach his best friend. How he saw Sasuke sinking into a world of hatred and contempt for everything and everyone, especially Naruto. Their friendship had been destroyed.

_"Perhaps ... perhaps __it had never been real"_ Naruto thought, his mind affected by sleep and fever. _"Maybe Sasuke... Maybe I was the only one who thought... we were friends."_

When unconscious, Naruto saw the vision of an old and painful memory.

* * *

_Sasuke was dreaming that __he was traveling with his teammates. There was an older man with them... he was responsible for teaching them. He was their sensei._

_Strangely, Sasuke could only think of scarecrows as he looked at the sensei._

_They were all in a small boat and were moving through the water and the morning fog. His teammate had begun to speak out loud like an idiot and everyone told him to shut up. They were on a secret mission and could not be discovered._

_Suddenly the dream changed completely. He didn't feel happy anymore; it was as if the world had become a dark and gloomy place. There was no light, no happiness there._

_Sasuke was lying on a bed in a dark room. There was a presence in the room. He knew._

_When multiple presences approached him, Sasuke decided to speak._

_"Who's there?"_

_The bedroom door opened slowly._

_"You found me, huh?" the intruder said. "But I took precautions."_

_"What is your objective?" Sasuke asked, but without turning to the stranger, staying in bed._

"_Danzo-sama's objective is to bury you. I'm going to take you back to Konoha" the intruder said peacefully. "Although at the beginning, I came here with the intention of killing you. I want to protect his bond with you, the one who's desperately trying to draw closer to."_

"_Bond..." Sasuke repeated. "You interrupted my sleep for something like that?" _

_Several black snakes grabbed __Sasuke and the room exploded._

_

* * *

_

Naruto squirmed on the bed. The fever went up again and his pajamas were soaked with sweat once more. The blond shifted position several times but could not calm down. His eyelids were constantly contracting and his breathing became irregular and wheezing.

* * *

_Naruto heard the sound of the explosion._

_"What?" __the blond asked._

_"It's Sai's chakra" Captain Yamato said._

_"It's that way, right?" Sakura asked._

_The three ninjas ran through the hallways of Orochimaru__'s hideout. Soon after, they saw a light, the corridor ended in an exit to the outside._

_And there was Sai._

_Sakura burst into a run toward the exit. When she reached Sai, she grabbed him by the collar._

"_You! What're you really after? How many times do you have to betray us until you're satisfied?" the kunoichi screamed._

_"Sakura, huh?" _

_Sakura __let go Sai and looked up._

_"Sasuke__... kun ..."_

_Naruto's eyes widened in amazement and also ran for the exit. He stumbled and fell to the ground but got up and continued running. After almost 3 years ... finally..._

_The sun blinded him Naruto momentarily, but when his eyes became accustomed to the light he saw him... _

_"Sasuke..." Naruto muttered._

_Sasuke was right in front of them, watching on top of the crater with a deadpan and disinterested gaze that contrasted completely with theirs._

_"Naruto?" Sasuke said, staring at his old teammates with a lack of interest. "So you're here, too?"_

_Yamato arrived at the crater and also looked at Sasuke._

_"So I assume Kakashi's with you, as well" the raven asked._

_"Sorry, I'm not Kakashi-san, but..." Yamato said. "I'm here in his place. Team Kakashi will take you back to Konoha now."_

_"Team Kakashi__...?" Sasuke muttered staring Sai._

_Sai withdrew his sword from his back and positioned himself to strike._

_"Sai__!" Sakura shouted. "I knew it, you're...!"_

_Everyone turned and stared at Sai._

_

* * *

_

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably in his bed and grabbed the pillow with both hands. His eyes were tightly closed and his lower lip trembling. Shortly after, his whole body was shaking.

"No..." the child moaned.

* * *

"_So, he's my replacement, huh? Another loser joins the ranks" Sasuke said with his unemotional tone. "He said he wanted to protect the bond between Naruto and me, but..."_

_Sakura stared at Sai very surprised. _

"_Sai, I thought your mission was to kill Sasuke-kun."_

"_My classified mission was indeed the assassination of Sasuke-kun, but I've had enough of orders. I now want to act on my own beliefs. I think Naruto-kun will get me to remember my past emotions. I kind of get the feeling it's something very important to me" Sai turned once more to Sasuke. "I don't know you very well. But there must be some kind of reason why Naruto-kun and Sakura-san have pursued you so desperately. They don't want to sever their bonds with you. They're giving it their all to secure those bonds. I still don't understand it all that clearly, but Sasuke-kun you should understand."_

_For a few seconds, only the wind could be heard. Finally, Sasuke answered._

"_Yeah, I did understand. That's why I severed the bonds. I have different bonds... bonds of hatred with my older brother."_

_Everyone stared at Sasuke in shock. Naruto and Sakura trembled with horror and grief._

"_Other bonds merely confuse you… and distract you from your greatest desires and the emotions that matter" the raven continued without being concerned that he had hurt his former teammate's feelings. _

_Naruto closed his eyes._

_"Then why…__" Naruto asked. "That day...why didn't you kill me? Is this your idea of cutting off bonds, Sasuke?"_

_"Naruto__..." Sakura whispered, staring at his teammate._

_"The reason is simple__..." said Sasuke."It's not that I couldn't break the bond with you. It was just irritating to me. Obtaining power based on the method he told me. "_

_Naruto blinked._

_"What do you mean?" the blond shinobi asked._

_"It's not necessary to explain that to you. What I can say to you is back then...back then... You're only alive because of my passing whim. "_

_Naruto glared at him. In the blink of an eye, Sasuke was leaning his head against Naruto, with his left hand resting on the blonds' shoulder._

"_Come to think of it, wasn't it your dream to become the Hokage?" Sasuke asked. "If you had the time to be chasing after me, you should've spent that time training or something. Right, Naruto?"_

"_S-Sasuke-kun…" Sakura muttered._

"_And so this time around, you'll lose your life because of my passing whim" Sasuke said, taking his sword from his back._

_"__Someone who can't even save a friend isn't fit to become Hokage... Isn't that right... Sasuke?__"_

_Sasuke drew his sword and __tried to stab in Naruto's back._

_

* * *

_

The young raven haired boy shrank back against the bed's mattress, moaning. Sasuke grabbed the pillow and hugged it, bending his legs to his belly and curling into a fetal position.

"Papa... Papa, no... "

* * *

_Sasuke broke the wooden dome and jumped out of the crater. Naruto tried to stand but was too exhausted, so he merely stared at Sasuke on his knees with his hands resting on the floor._

"_Why...? Why don't you get it? Soon, Orochimaru's going to take your body!" Naruto screamed._

"_If it happens, it happens. You're still a kid, Naruto. Revenge is everything to me. If I can carry out my revenge, it's no concern of mine what happens to me, or to this world" Sasuke replied. "Put simply, neither I nor Orochimaru can defeat Itachi right now. But if I can obtain the power to accomplish that by giving my body to Orochimaru, then I'll give him as much of this life of mine as he wants."_

_Naruto and Sakura widened their eyes with shock._

_"__The talking's over" Yamato said suddenly. "Naruto and Sakura, I didn't want to do anything rough in front of you guys, but I'm going to get serious now."_

_"Yamato-Taichou__..." Sakura said._

_"Get serious?" Naruto asked._

_"He's the same as Orochimaru, a rogue ninja who deserted the village and can't be allowed to roam free. We are taking him back to Konoha, no matter what."_

_"Konoha, huh?" Sasuke said blankly. "I've had it with all of you."_

_Sasuke slid his sword on the floor and started doing the hand seals with impressive speed._

_"It's over!" Sasuke exclaimed and prepared to attack._

_

* * *

_

"NO!"

Sasuke woke up and sat up in bed with a start. The boy was shaking, his heart jumping and panting.

Still clinging to the cushion, the child looked from side to side. He was in his room, lying in his bed. None of that had been real.

"A dream..." Sasuke muttered with a drop of sweat trickling down his forehead. "It was just a bad dream."

Sasuke continued to shake for some time. He didn't have those kinds of dreams for a long time. He vaguely remembered being stuck in a bad dream like that when the snake had bitten him and he had been ill for many days.

At the time, he remembered having dreamed of a snake man and seeing his father as a much younger boy, although he wasn't able to remember how Daddy looked like.

This time, he saw his Tou-chan again. He had recognized him because of the picture they had taken when Sasuke was a baby; his Daddy was exactly like in the picture. In the dream, when Sasuke jumped into the crater and was leaning against Naruto, he felt everything. The smell, the touch... it was his father, he was sure.

_"And I tried to hurt him__... again..." _the boy thought, remorseful. _"Why? I don't wanna have these dreams anymore!"_

The child got out of bed and peered through the curtains, it was still night it was very dark. The full moon lit the empty streets and the wind shook the branches and leaves of the trees.

Sasuke remembered the sad face of his father in his dream.

"Tou-chan!" the boy exclaimed, going out of the room and running towards Naruto's bedroom.

Sasuke opened the door and walked slowly across the room towards the bed. What he saw broke his heart. Naruto was writhing in bed with a pained expression on his face. He had his forehead wet with sweat and his blond hair stuck to his face. He was panting and groaning.

"Ah... Ah... Urrg..." Naruto moaned.

"Papa..." Sasuke muttered, not knowing what to do.

Naruto moved once more, always shaking and wheezing. Sasuke's eyes widened when he saw the same pained expression on his face as he had seen in his dream. A few seconds later, two tears streamed down Naruto's face and he began to sob.

"Papa! Papa don't cry! "Sasuke said, putting his hands on Naruto's shoulders. "Please don't cry..."

Naruto continued to cry silently. Sasuke felt his own eyes filling with tears. He didn't know what to do... he didn't know how he could help!

Naruto's hand slipped out of the bed. Sasuke stared at the hand, remembering what his father had told him that morning.

_"Stay close to me and I'll be a lot better."_

Sasuke reached out and held Naruto's hand, squeezing it tightly. Naruto's much longer fingers also squeezed the little hand.

"I'm here" Sasuke said at Naruto's ear. "I'm here with you."

* * *

_Naruto watched Sasuke, Orochimaru and Kabuto disappear, leaving team Kakashi__ in the crater feeling overwhelmed by feelings of hopelessness and failure._

_Naruto lay on the floor, feeling that all light was absorbed by a cold darkness._

_Full of sorrow and grief, Naruto began to cry and sob. The cold was entrenched in his skin, his blood and his heart. It wasn't worth it... no matter how hard he tried, even training, even if he was stronger, Sasuke would never understand. It was quite obvious that he felt nothing but contempt for the team..._

_The dream of having Sasuke back in the team and that everything could go back to the way they were disintegrated like glass. The bond that Naruto believed existed between them had been only an illusion. Sasuke would never accept Naruto as someone close to him..._

_Naruto felt the cold becoming increasingly unbearable, but the pain in his heart was even worse._

_Everything had been in vain__... There was nothing that he could do anymore... Sasuke was gone._

_"Huh?"_

_Naruto opened his eyes when he felt something warm hold onto his hand. Naruto turned and looked at it. A pale hand grabbed his hand and squeezed his fingers tightly._

_"I'm here" said a familiar voice._

_Naruto looked away and saw Sasuke at his side, clutching his hand tightly._

_"I'm here with you" Sasuke said much more clearly._

_Naruto looked at the raven and again to hand, also holding tight. Slowly, a bright light blinded him._

_

* * *

_

Naruto opened his eyes with difficulty due to the light, seeing that Sasuke's hand had become much smaller, barely able to grab him three fingers.

Still drowsy, Naruto saw teenager Sasuke become the black-haired child lying on the floor beside Naruto's bed, holding his hand. Losing the numbness of sleep, Naruto smiled although he was confused as how Sasuke had known he needed him.

The boy mumbled something unintelligible, and slowly opened his eyes.

"Hey," Naruto greeted, causing Sasuke to look up.

"Tou-chan..." the child said, still sleepy.

"Morning, Sasuke" Naruto greeted. "Why are you sleeping on the floor?"

Sasuke sat up and rubbed his eyes with his left hand because he wasn't going to let go of his Daddy's hand.

"You were sad," the child said. "You were very sad and crying. I tried to wake you up but I couldn't... I was scared. "

Naruto grabbed Sasuke and laid him in bed with him. The boy leaned against Naruto's chest right away while the latter involved him in his arms.

"Are you feeling better now, Tou-chan? Does it still hurt? "

Naruto realized he no longer felt either sick or tired. The fever disappeared completely.

"I think I'm healed. I feel much better now. Thank you, Sasuke! "

"Why? I didn't do anything..."

"You stayed with me when I was feeling bad" Naruto explained. "That was all I needed."

"We're not sad anymore, Tou-chan?"

Naruto pressed Sasuke's small body against him.

"No... I'm very happy now," replied Naruto. "I have my son with me. I could not be happier."

Sasuke blushed slightly and buried his face in his Daddy's chest. The dreams he had were just bad dreams! Sasuke would never hurt his father like in the dream or treat him that badly! Those nightmares were all lies!

More lively, Naruto smiled while watching the blue sky through the window. The past didn't matter; all they had was a future ahead. It was time to let go of their sad memories and move forward.

"Tou-chan?"

"Yes?"

"I don't feel good..."

Naruto put his hand on his son's forehead. Sasuke had a fever.

"Oh, no! Not you too!" Naruto mumbled, surprised by his bad luck. "I think now is my turn to take care of you, Sasuke. Want a drink? Are you cold?"

"Papa?"

"Mm?"

"Can you stay here with me?" the child asked.

"Oh! Sure" Naruto said, turning to lie in bed with Sasuke in his arms. "Papa is here with you."

Although he felt cold, his throat hurt and was tired, Sasuke smiled and curled up against Naruto.

"Papa" the child whispered, almost inaudible. "You're so warm..."

The little boy slowly closed his eyes.

"_I won't hurt you, Papa…"_

_

* * *

_**Naruto was a bit emo, but I tried to capture the essence of those scenes (btw it was episode 51-53 of Naruto Shippuden).**

**Also, I'm going to write a sort off spin-off on this fic. I was going to write it on this story directly but it is a lot more twisted than what I usually write, so I'm a little apprehensive. That way, I'm gonna writte it as a spin-off and if you guys decide it his good enough, I will considered it "canon" for Phoenix Rising.**

******I don't know if you noticed but I made a poll on this fanfic plot in my user page. How old should Sasuke be when he returns to Konoha? It's you who get to decide this one, so check it out on my user page!**

******See you later! And thanks for reading.**


	25. The Discovery

**This chapter is kind of small, but the next one will probably be longer.**

**Also, the poll will be closed soon, so please don't forget to vote if you haven't already.**

**As for the side story "Raven's Fall" the first chapter is also out. After discussing with a few reviewers I've decided to put both Naruto and Sasuke's POV on the fanfic, or else it would be too confusing. I hope you'll like it as well.**

**Well... enjoy the chapter.**

**

* * *

**

**The Discovery**

発見 (_Hakken_)

_July 22nd_

_Konohagakure_

Umino Iruka considered himself a good teacher. He had a knack for teaching, loved children and, most importantly, had lots of patience.

Five of his students were drenched by the wall, staring at his feet. The classroom was not in better condition.

"YOU IDIOTS!" Iruka growled, causing the children to shrink against the wall, shaking. "What were you thinking? You were supposed to wash the classroom, not flood it with the garden hose!"

"Sorry, Iruka-sensei..." the children said in unison.

The classroom was ruined with the water. Iruka had to control his hand to not slap the hollow head of his students. After forcing them to clean up the mess they had made, he watched the children leave with their parents, who grumbled and promised harsh punishment.

Within a few years, those children would be ninjas willing to risk their lives to complete a mission and defend the village. Sighing wistfully, Iruka took leave of his fellow professors, and left the Academy.

It had always been so; the children could not be students forever. Iruka went through several of his former students while walking through the streets of the village, waving to them and stopping occasionally to chat. It was amazing how much they had changed.

"_Have you__ changed too, Naruto?" _Iruka thought, remembering his most problematic student.

It was ironic that the child who was most hated in the village had become its most beloved. Many villagers asked about the prankster ninja, remembering him with a smile.

Naruto had left Konoha five years ago and, since then, they only knew about him from what the Hokage told them he had written in his letters. Inside Iruka's head, he continued to see Naruto as a joyful and mischievous child who still had much to learn. How could he be almost 22 years old already?

Iruka had been very worried when he discovered that Naruto was gone. He volunteered to participate in the searches, but his students needed him to stay in the village. So he waited for any news with impatience, nervous that the search team would bring his dead body.

When Tsunade declared that Naruto had killed Sasuke, Iruka couldn't believe it. He could not imagine the suffering that it had caused Naruto.

_"I wish I had been able to __go to you"_ Iruka thought. _"You must have been so depressed, Naruto."_

The fact that Naruto had decided not to return to Konoha was also worrying. Iruka didn't like the idea of Naruto traveling the world alone without an adult to watch out for him. Naruto was just a kid! He felt like shouting at the Hokage when she forbade him to go to look for Naruto. Who knew what that youngster was doing? It was Naruto they were talking about! He need his friends and teachers more than ever after being forced to kill his best friend, there was no way he would could be left all alone.

Like the rest of Konoha, Iruka did not understand why Naruto didn't return home. He missed him. He missed taking him to lunch at Ichiraku Ramen, to speak to him and, more importantly, Iruka wanted to see with his own eyes if Naruto was safe and happy. In Konoha, there was always someone to keep an eye on him. Iruka didn't want to imagine the trouble Naruto would get in to, without someone to put some sense into his head.

"Oh! Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka turned around and saw Ino waving at him, dressed in her apron and with a watering can in one hand.

"Hello, Ino" Iruka greeted, approaching the former student. "Are you working?"

"I like the extra money," the young kunoichi replied. "I have not seen you for some time. How are things at the Academy? "

"Well. We will receive another generation of students soon. Time sure flies. It seems only yesterday that your generation had come to the Academy and look at you now! All grown up."

"Hehe! Just to think that it been ten years since we graduated" Ino said. "By the way ... Have you seen Sakura walking by?"

"Sakura? No, I haven't seen her. Why?"

Ino looked a little embarrassed and a wiped her wet hands on her apron.

"She looked a little down in the dumps in these last few days... A moment ago, she bought a large bouquet of flowers from our store."

"Flowers?"

"Tomorrow is... was Sasuke-kun's birthday."

Iruka nodded slowly, sympathetic.

"I see..." Iruka said. "It's hard for her, I guess."

"Yes... she bought the bouquet to put on his grave" Ino said. "I tried to cheer her up, but... maybe she would like to talk to you, sensei."

"I'll try. See you later, Ino. "

Iruka changed direction and headed for the old Uchiha compound. Passing through the ruins, Iruka couldn't help to pity Sasuke's cruel fate. That boy had so much talent... he still had so much to give... His life had been miserable. He could still recall with great clarity when he taught Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke was always the best in class while Naruto failed miserably the more basic jutsus.

The genius and the dead-last were placed together in the same team. Who knew that decision would change the shinobi world forever?

And, in the end, Sasuke was killed by Naruto.

When approaching the rock that was used as grave, Iruka immediately noticed Sakura's pink hair. The young woman was standing beside the grave, still holding the bouquet in her hands.

"Sakura?"

Sakura turned back, her eyes red and teary.

"I-Iruka-sensei..." the young ninja murmured, wiping her eyes.

"Ino told me you would be here and I decided to show up too" the sensei said, with a gentle smile. "I haven't come here for some time."

"I see..."

Iruka approached the grave and stood next to Sakura. Both knew that Sasuke was not buried in that grave. Sasuke's body did never appear after his fight against Naruto. Iruka would rather not imagine what had remained of his body after the battle.

"Tomorrow, he would turn twenty-two" Sakura said.

"I know. Time flies, it seems that only yesterday you were still students at the Academy. "

Sakura smiled sadly.

"We cannot be kids forever," the young ninja said. "Children grow and change..."

Iruka blinked has he saw tears running down her face.

"Sorry... sorry, sensei" Sakura said, wiping her tears. "I'm so stupid."

"Not at all, Sakura. You are anything but stupid. "

"I should have overcome this. Sasuke-kun left Konoha 9 years ago... and has been dead for five years. "

Iruka sighed deeply.

"It's always hard to accept the loss of someone who was precious to us," Iruka said. "My parents died long ago, but I still miss them. I'll always miss them. "

Sakura knelt and laid her bouquet on the floor.

"Sakura?" Iruka asked.

"Hm?"

"Why are you putting the flowers today? Would not it be better to place them tomorrow, the day of his birthday? "

Sakura got up slowly and stared at the rusty sword.

"Because Sasuke-kun would never accept a birthday present," the kunoichi explained with a weak smile. "He was not interested in that sort of thing."

"Ah... you're right. Sasuke had no interest in gifts or birthday parties. He was… more serious than most kids."

Since his clan had been massacred, Sasuke stopped being a child. He didn't play with other children, he never went to a party, and he isolated himself from everyone else, refusing to make friends or creating new bonds. The time that he had been with team 7 was the closest to a normal life he had, but the arrival of Orochimaru ended that. Sasuke also hadn't been a teenager and he never became an adult man.

Sasuke lived and died for revenge. He had spent 10 years of his life trying to make others pay for the happiness that had been stolen from him when he was 7. As a result, Sasuke didn't have a life of his own.

Sasuke didn't grow up as a person; he became a weapon of vengeance.

"Yeah…" Sakura nodded. "I can't believe how naïve I was back then. I thought I knew everything there was to know about Sasuke-kun, but the truth is I didn't know him at all. No wonder he despised me, I couldn't understand him."

"He had a very unhappy life..." Iruka murmured softly. "Sasuke had a lot of anger and sadness inside him. Revenge was the way he handled his pain."

"_What about my pain? Naruto's pain? Kakashi-sensei's pain?__ Didn't they matter too?"_

Sakura looked up. The green leaves of the tree branches came loose and were blown away by the breeze.

"Sasuke-kun... he was willing to do anything to get his revenge" Sakura said. "That was his life purpose and there was nothing we could say that would make him change his mind. I... we wanted him to be a part of our lives. There were so many things we wanted to do together... He was alive but he was not living. "

Iruka looked down while Sakura continued.

"We loved him… me, Naruto and Kakashi-sensei. But he didn't care about our love, or us. Something broke inside him the day his parents died... something that nobody could fix. The more I think of our past, the more I realize how Naruto and I were blind. Sasuke-kun never saw us as friends. "

"Sakura ... I'm sure that's not true."

"Yes it is, sensei. A true friend doesn't try to kill his other friends, a friend doesn't abandon friends or make them feel like trash" Sakura said, turning to Iruka with a sad smile. "He didn't care for us. Sasuke-kun was not our friend; I think he just wasn't able to be one. His heart was too broken."

Sakura turned and began walking the path, stopping shortly afterwards.

"It is time to move forward" Sakura said, with her back turned to her sensei. "Life goes on..." Sakura crossed her arms over her chest. "I cannot live if I'm always looking to the past. I have to stop thinking about what could have been and accept reality..."

"Sakura ..."

The medical ninja lowered her head.

"This is the last I come to the grave" she said. "I came to say goodbye."

Iruka closed his eyes and nodded slowly.

"I understand" the sensei said. "I hope Sasuke has gone to a better place."

"Me too," Sakura agreed. "I hope he found the peace he was looking for..."

Sakura turned to Iruka and smiled at him.

"See you around, Iruka-sensei!"

Sakura looked one last time at Sasuke's grave.

"Bye... Sasuke-kun."

* * *

To his great irritation, Iruka just remembered that he had to ask the Hokage for a new set of kunai for the Academy when he was at home, ready for a nap. With an annoyed grunt, Iruka got up, got dressed, grabbed the forms and walked out the door.

After jumping on several rooftops, the sensei stopped at the Hokage's mansion, noting that Shizune was attached to the jamb with Tonton in her arms, with a worried and afraid look. The usual.

"Good afternoon, Shizune-san," Iruka greeted.

"Oh! Iruka? "Shizune asked, turning.

"Buhi!" Tonton grunted.

"What are you doing out here?" Iruka asked curiously. "Hokage-sama is here?"

"No ... Tsunade-sama left half hour ago and forbade anyone to enter her office."

"Huh? Why?

"Because she just realized she'll turn 60 eleven days from now" Shizune said, looking tired. "So she did what she usually does when she feels old."

"She got drunk" they both said at the same time.

Shizune bowed her head in despair.

"I am very sorry, Shizune-san... The cabinet was in very bad shape?"

"I didn't have the courage to enter. I wanna imagine the mess... you would not believe the noise she made. I think she even threw a chair through the window! "

Iruka laughed and nodded.

"That is bad..." Iruka said. "I really needed to deliver these forms..."

Shizune looked at the sheets of paper.

"Well... you can leave them at the office. I need the courage to go there and peek anyway. "

Slow, and scared, Shizune opened the door and entered the mansion. Arriving at the office, Shizune gasped before having the courage to open the door.

"OH MY GOD!" Shizune screamed.

Tsunade had really thrown a chair through the window. She also had hundreds of documents scattered on the floor, the desk was upside down and paint spread on the walls.

"This is chaotic! A disaster!" Shizune cried, staring at the mess. "These documents are important and everything is scattered across the floor. My God! Some sheets are flying out the window! "

Iruka looked at the Hokage's attendant trying to fix everything at once with an embarrassed smile.

"Calm down, Shizune-san... it's not that bad."

"Bad? This sucks! "

"If you want, I can't help you" Iruka volunteered. "We both can clean this is a jiffy."

Shizune looked at him as if Iruka had metamorphosed into an angel fallen from heaven.

"Really? Oh, thank you! Many, many thanks!" the Hokage's attendant cried, landing Tonton on the ground and starting to pick up the sheets on the floor. "Would you turn the desk up, please?"

"Sure."

While Iruka took care of the desk, Shizune began gathering the papers and separate them by themes: missions, ninjutsu, biographies, information, etc... Later they had to organize everything better.

When Iruka turned the desk up, Shizune noticed a small white envelope had fallen from a drawer. With curiousity, Shizune grabbed it and, noticing that it had nothing written on, opened it to find out where she should put it. It shouldn't be anything too important, or Tsunade would not have kept it on her desktop...

"Oh! A blank envelope... Tsunade-sama should start labeling the documents... or else... wait… this is a…" when she started reading it, Shizune turned pale as a sheet. "Wha… What… What the heck?"

Iruka looked at her, confused and surprised by her shriek.

"Shizune-san? What is it?"

Shizune took her eyes from the document and stared at Iruka wide-eyed.

"Naruto-kun... he ..."

An alarm sounded in Iruka's head, making him jump over the desk to get closer to Shizune.

"Naruto? What's wrong with Naruto? That's about him?" the sensei asked stressed out, pointing to the paper in Shizune's wobbly hands. "What does it say? What's wrong?"

"This is... This is a test..." Shizune stuttered. "A paternity test..."

Iruka opened his eyes impossibly wide.

"A paternity test? About Naruto? " Iruka asked, very nervous.

"It's a paternity test between Naruto-kun and... and a child X."

Iruka felt his heart beating in his mouth.

"What?" Iruka shouted. "This is absurd! Naruto never... he's just a kid... Why would Tsunade-sama...? "

"Iruka!" Shizune interrupted, with a drop of sweat trickling down her forehead. "The paternity test is positive."

Iruka's face was left without a speck of blood.

"Po... Posi..." Iruka stammered.

"Oh my God! Naruto-kun is a father! This is unbelievable! He has a child!"

_A chil__d._

_Naruto conceived a child._

_Naruto's a father._

"What did he do while he was away? I just can't believ... Iruka?"

At that moment, Iruka rolled his eyes and fainted.

* * *

**Oh my... poor Iruka. That must have been quite a shock. Keep in mind that Iruka hasn't seen Naruto since he was 16 years old. **

**As always, thanks for reading and feel free to review. I want to know what you guys think!**

**See ya!**


	26. Father's Pride

**Hey there! Thanks for the wonderful reviews from last chapter. It was also nice to hear from some of my older reviewers!**

**_"Kono yaro"_ means "you bastard". Which is weird since most fiction have Naruto calling Sasuke "teme" (also means bastard or an impolite _you_) all the time, but in the anime he calls him_ kono yaro_ a lot more. Also, I only heard Sasuke call Naruto _Dobe _once. Oh well... fans can create stuff too!**

**Also, Sasuke now suffers from ****Ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) after his enconter with one. He's like Indiana Jones: _"_****I hate snakes, Jock! I hate 'em!"**

* * *

**Father's Pride**

父の誇り _(Chichi no hokori)_**  
**

_July 23__rd_

Naruto opened the door of his son's room and opened the curtains, leaving the room lit by the morning light. In his bed, Sasuke groaned and pulled the sheets over his head.

"Good morning!" Naruto greeted. "Time to wake up."

Sasuke remained hidden under the sheets.

"Tou-chan..." Sasuke mumbled, with his voice muffled by the blanket. "Just a little bit more..."

"Come on, lazy bum! Breakfast is already on the table, don't be late" Naruto said, leaving the room.

Sasuke moaned for a few seconds, but ended up getting up, rubbing his eyes and yawning. It was only to when he saw the calendar on the wall that he became completely awake. Today was an important day, it was his birthday.

Sasuke was 5 years old now.

Filled with enthusiasm, the boy jumped up and ran to the kitchen where Naruto was finishing preparing breakfast in the kitchen sink. Sasuke walked up to Naruto and grabbed his pants.

"Good morning, Tou-chan!" Sasuke greeted with a joyful smile.

Naruto looked at Sasuke with a small smile.

"Good morning. Sit at the table, your breakfast will get cold. "

Sasuke blinked confused and continued to stare at Naruto in anticipation, but the blond didn't say anything more. Surprised, the child obeyed and sat at the table but kept observing Naruto as the latter was preparing his milk with cereal and sat at the table.

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto exclaimed, starting to eat.

Sasuke continued to stare at his dad without touching the milk in front of him. When he noticed it, Naruto stopped drinking.

"What's wrong, Sasuke? Aren't you hungry? "

"Hm... Tou-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know... you know what day is it?" Sasuke asked.

"Huh? Today?" Naruto replied. "If I'm not mistaken, today is Friday..."

"No!" Sasuke said. "Today is a special day?"

Naruto closed his eyes and folded his arms as if trying to remember something.

"Not that I remember" the blond replied.

Sasuke lowered his eyes, beginning to feel them fill with tears. He had forgotten... his father had forgotten his birthday.

Noticing the boy's lower lip trembling and his flushed cheeks, Naruto smiled gradually.

"Sasuke... look under the table" Naruto said slowly.

Sasuke looked at his feet and realized that there was indeed something under the table. With interest, the boy jumped from his chair and knelt under the table with wide eyes.

There was a huge present under the table!

Naruto stood up and advanced towards Sasuke, grabbing him by the armpits and lifted him into the air.

"Happy Birthday, Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You... you remembered?" the boy asked, still in disbelief.

"Of course I remembered. You really think I'd forget my own son's birthday?" Naruto replied, leaning his face against Sasuke's head and giving him a kiss on the forehead. "Congratulations!"

The blond put his child on the ground and Sasuke kitten under the table, opening the gift with excitement.

"Wow!" the boy cried. Naruto had offered him a wooden toy castle, which included ninja dolls to defend and attack the castle.

"You like it?" Naruto asked, kneeling beside the table.

Sasuke went under the table and ran into to Naruto's arms, grabbing his neck with his tiny arms.

"It's so cool! Thank you, Tou-chan! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! "

Naruto laughed and watched Sasuke as he took the wooden castle to his bedroom filled with childlike joy. The boy sat down and immediately began to assemble the castle and place the toy ninjas. Naruto sat in front of the boy and helped him in the building, watching his smiling face.

* * *

_July __23__rd__, nine years earlier_

_Naruto was leaning against the metal bars of the bridge, with his arms folded behind his head and bearing an expression of boredom on his face. Kakashi-sensei was late... again._

_Beside him, Sasuke was not in bett__er mood. The Uchiha genius crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, probably irritated by the loss of precious hours of training._

_"Hello!"_

_Naruto stepped back from the bridge and stared at Sakura with a smirk._

_"Hi! Sakura-chan, good morning! "Naruto greeted her._

_"Good morning" the kunoichi replied, turning immediately to Sasuke with a radiant smile. "Good morning, Sasuke-kun... Happy birthday!"_

_Sasuke opened his eyes and his lips became a thin line. Naruto stared at Sakura with a confused and surprised expression._

_"Why do you say that, Sakura-chan? "_

_Sakura turned to Naruto keeping her smile, but with an angry stare._

_"Because today is Sasuke-kun's birthday" Sakura said. "Honestly, Naruto. How don't you know?"_

_Naruto looked at Sasuke, uninterested._

_"Why would I remember something like that? Whether it's his birthday or not ... I don't give a damn! "Naruto exclaimed, pleased with the raven's angry expression._

_"Anyway... Happy birthday,__ Sasuke-kun!" Sakura continued. "If you want, we can go party later after training. I made a cake for you and I loved... "_

_"I don't like sweets" Sasuke interrupted, uncaring. "I don't want you to bother me with stupid things like "parties"."_

_Sakura's smile vanished in a second, while Naruto glared at Sasuke._

_"Hey! Teme! Watch your language! Sakura-chan was just being nice to you. What's your problem?" Naruto muttered, enraged._

_Sasuke stared at his two teammates with indifference._

_"My birthday is none of your concern," the Uchiha replied. "Parties and birthday cakes are things that don't mean a thing to me. What is the importance of a birthday, anyway? It only means that I'm a year older... nothing else. So stop annoying me. "_

_"Sasuke-kun__..."_

_"You cocky bastard! You should get a kick in the ass just for saying that!" Naruto growled._

_"Hmpf" Sasuke snorted, not bothering to stare at Naruto. "You can't even hit me. So stop __acting all high and mighty__, you hopeless loser! "_

_"Kono yaro__... What did you say?"_

"_Hard on hearing?"_

_"Good morning!" a voice greeted from above._

_The three genin looked at a tree, where their sensei Hatake Kakashi smiled at them, undisturbed._

_"Sensei, you're late!" Naruto and Sakura shouted at the same time, while Kakashi jumped off the branch._

_"Sorry... sorr__y... I thought someone was following me, so I took a shortcut to throw him of and I got lost."_

_"..."_

_"Sensei! THIS IS THE WORST EXCUSE THAT I HAVE EVER HEARD!" Naruto and Sakura shouted._

_"Oh__... Well! Let's go training."_

_Before leaving, Naruto glared at Sasuke once more._

_"We're not over, teme. You'll apologize to Sakura-chan!"_

_Sasuke stared at him as well._

_"I told you to mind your business and leave me alone," Sasuke said. "My birthday doesn't concern you. I hate nosey people like you" and walked away with an irritated expression._

* * *

At present, Sasuke had just built a castle tower and grabbed two dolls and pretended that they were enemy ninjas.

"Ne... Sasuke?"

The boy looked up from his castle.

"Yes?"

"Tell me... are you happy?"

"Happy?"

"I mean... do you think your life is happy? You're happy? "

The child was a little confused, but tried to answer.

"I think so... sometimes I get a little sad or angry… or afraid, but it turns out okay. So... yeah! I'm happy. "

Naruto smiled.

"I see... I'm glad."

"And you, Tou-chan?"

"Me?"

"Are you happy?"

Naruto laughed and ruffled his son's hair.

"Very happy!"

At that moment, he heard the sound of an explosion coming from the living room, followed by the sound of voices.

"Cough! Cough! But where did we landed, Kaa-chan? "

"I don't know... I think I stepped on an egg."

"That's my eye!"

Naruto ran to the living room, and faced Fukasaku, Shima and Gamakishion top of each other in a tangle of legs and arms.

"Gamakichi! Jii-chan and Baa-chan sennin!" the blond ninja exclaimed.

The toads turned to him and quickly composed themselves, trying to regain some dignity.

"It's been a while, Naruto-chan?" Fukasaku greeted. "You look good."

"Yo!" Gamakichi waved.

"Hello! What a surprise! Why didn't warn me you were coming?" Naruto asked.

"We wanted to make you a surprise," Shima said. "Where's the birthday boy?"

"In his room," Naruto said. "Sasuke! Come here! You have visitors! "

Sasuke dropped the new toys and ran to the living room.

"Jii-chan! Baa-chan! And Gamakichi too!" the child cried.

Shima could not contain herself and jumped into Sasuke's arms.

"How's my little boy?" Shima said, staring at Sasuke's face. "You're more and more handsome each day. Happy birthday! "

"Thank you, Baa-chan" Sasuke thanked.

"How old are you, Sasuke?" Gamakichi asked.

Sasuke raised a hand.

"Five!" the boy exclaimed. "These many!"

"Wow!" Fukasaku said. "You've grown a lot."

"Yeah" the child said. "One day, when I'm an adult, I'll be a ninja."

"A ninja, eh?" Fukasaku said. "And why do you want to be a ninja, Sasuke-chan?"

"Because ninjas are strong and fast! I want to be as cool as them! "

Acquiescing, Fukasaku pulled a small package from his traveling cloak.

"Well ... This is for you, Sasuke-chan" the old toad said, extending the wrapping cloth to the boy.

Curious, Sasuke came and unwrapped the package, revealing a wooden sword.

"A sword! It's a sword!" the child exclaimed, very excited.

"More precisely, it is a wooden katana" Fukasaku said. "I made it myself. It will help you train until you get a real one. "

Sasuke grabbed the wooden katana with his tiny hands, trying to get used to its weight. Naruto came over and helped Sasuke to take hold of the sword.

"It's heavy..." the boy said.

"I know," replied Naruto. "But one day, your hands will be large and strong enough to grip that sword."

"I'll practice a lot! I'll be very strong! "

"I'm sure you will," the blond replied, watching the boy moving the sword with clumsy and imprecise movements.

Sasuke tried to raise his sword over his head, but it slipped from his hands and flew into Gamakichi's face.

"Ow! My nose! "

Sasuke blushed like a tomato.

"Sorry, Gamakichi ..."

Naruto burst out laughing.

"You still have a lot to practice," Naruto said. "Until then… there's no real sword for you."

After saying goodbye to the frogs, who returned to mount Myōboku, Naruto ordered Sasuke to get dressed.

"Oooh ... Do I have to go to the kindergarten today?" the boy sighed.

"Not today," Naruto said, surprising the child. "Today is a special day, that's why you're coming with me. I have a surprise for you. "

Sasuke's dark eyes beamed with joy.

"A surprise? What is it, Tou-chan? Tell me!"

"Get dressed and you'll see," replied Naruto. "Oh! And bring your new katana! I think you may need it. "

Excited, Sasuke ran to his room and got dressed as quickly as possible. Grabbing the katana, the boy ran into the hall where Naruto helped him put on his sandals.

"Shall we?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke nodded and they left home. Sasuke could barely hide his excitement; this was the best birthday ever and the fact he could spend all day with his Daddy and not have to go to kindergarten just made everything better.

Hand in hand, father and son moved through the streets of the village until Naruto decided to pick a path that led to the center of the forest surrounding the village. Sasuke was a little confused; his father had always said he couldn't go there because the woods might be dangerous.

Actually, Sasuke didn't like dark forests. He was afraid that something might emerge from the darkness and attack him.

He also hated snakes. He couldn't see one without being terrified.

As they moved through the forest, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand harder instinctively. When a crow took flight with a caw, the raven haired boy clung to his father's pants with fear.

"Easy, Sasuke" Naruto said with a reassuring smile. "It's okay. You trust me? "

The boy looked up, staring at Naruto's blue eyes.

"Y-Yes..."

"Don't be afraid. I'll keep you safe. "

A little more relieved, Sasuke nodded. Finally, Naruto stopped.

"Here" the blond man said.

Sasuke looked from side to side, but could not see anything special, just some trees and rocks.

"Tou-chan?" Sasuke asked. "There's nothing here."

The sound of footsteps came just ahead of them, causing Sasuke to cringe against Naruto's legs.

A figure emerged from the darkness, becoming clearer as he went towards them. When the sunlight lit up his face, Sasuke finally relaxed.

"Gaara-san!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"Hey, Gaara!" Naruto greeted.

* * *

Iruka sat on a bench near Konoha's gate, with both hands pressing his temples. He didn't sleep all night and had no hunger or desire to work. All he wanted was to go to Naruto.

Naruto... that mischievous boy... that kid who was always smiling… was a father.

"Oh my God ..." Iruka muttered in exasperation. "What did you do, Naruto?"

"Iruka?"

The Academy professor looked up and his eyes crossed with Shizune's.

"Shizune-san..."

Shizune also seemed nervous.

"You okay?" She asked.

"I don't know what to do," Iruka said, looking at his hands on his lap.

Shizune nodded and sat next to him "This is all so... unexpected."

"It's my fault..." Iruka said.

"Huh?"

"I should have guessed something like this would happen. I should have talked with Jiraiya-sama! "

"What does Jiraiya-sama has to do with this?"

"He taught Naruto all sorts of perverted stuff!" Iruka exploded. "But I bet he never spoke to his pupil on the unwanted... results."

Shizune blushed.

"I should have been more watchful. It's all my fault!" Iruka lamented, burying his face in his hands.

"Come on, Iruka... Don't be so hard on yourself," Shizune said. "Naruto-kun... he would some day... well... have sex with someone."

Iruka stared at Shizune with wide eyes.

"Never use the words _"sex"_ and _"Naruto"_ in the same sentence!" Iruka shouted, causing Shizune to jump from the bench.

"O-Okay..."

"What's up with Naruto?"

Iruka and Shizune shouted when they realized that Kakashi was right behind them.

"Ka-Kakashi!" Shizune said.

"Sorry but I couldn't help listening," Kakashi said. "Something happened to Naruto?"

Iruka noticed the Icha Icha book that Kakashi was carrying and glared at him.

_"YOU!__" _Iruka thought angrily._ "You and your perverted books! This is also your fault!"_

Kakashi blinked, surprised with Iruka's furious gaze.

"Eh... Is there a problem?" the copy ninja asked, with a drop of sweat trickling down his cheeks.

"Kakashi-san" Iruka whispered, trying to remain calm.

"Uh... yes?"

"Did you ever talk to Naruto about... about _safe sex_?"

"HUH?" Kakashi yelled, blushing up to his hair.

"Iruka!" Shizune shrieked.

"So? Did you talk to with him about it?"

Kakashi began to retreat, very red and sweating.

"I... I don't usually speak about… _that_ with my students" Kakashi defended himself. "Also, I thought you had that covered."

"I didn't get to talk to him about it" Iruka replied. "He stopped being my student since he was twelve! It was your responsibility!"

"I was his Jonin guide! I was responsible to teach him Ninjutsu, not talk about sexual intercourse."

"That's not an excuse! He was your responsibility!"

"Well... maybe Jiraiya-sama talked about... sex with him. After all he was an expert. Naruto will be fine. You really think he would go around having sex with a bunch of girls?" Kakashi said, amused.

"That is exactly what I think he's doing!" Iruka exploded. "Naruto is wandering around, alone and unsupervised, getting girls pregnan..." Shizune covered Iruka's mouth with both hands, before Kakashi's shocked expression.

"Iruka is only speaking hypothetically," Shizune said. "He's worried because Naruto-kun is already a grown man."

"Oh! You worry too much, Iruka" Kakashi said with a smile. "You should trust Naruto more. I am sure he won't do anything reckless. "

Iruka continued glaring.

"See you around" Kakashi said, disappearing.

Shizune uncovered Iruka's mouth.

"Shizune-san! Why did you stop me?"

"Because Tsunade-sama and Naruto-kun should have good reasons to keep it a secret," said Shizune. "We have no right to reveal it."

Iruka opened his mouth but closed it again.

"You're right... sorry. It's ... it's just so frustrating! Want to know what happened with Naruto. I wanna make sure he's okay... and shout at him! How could he be so irresponsible and get a girl pregnant? Doesn't he have a clue about the consequences of his actions? This can't ruin his life! He's not ready to have a baby!"

Shizune stared at Iruka with a gentle look.

"Don't be so hard on Naruto-kun... He must have felt so heartbroken over Sasuke-kun's death."

"I know..."

"Naruto-kun should have wanted to voice all his frustration and sadness. Maybe he met someone... a girl to talk to" Shizune continued.

"It is possible..."

"The girl tried to comfort him... they began to spend time together... then, one thing led to another, and they ended up sleeping together."

Iruka looked up with alarm.

"Naruto-kun was about 17 when he left. He had reached sexual maturity... his hormones and sorrow must have been in charge of the rest. And when it was over, the girl realized that she was pregnant and... "

Iruka could not stand it anymore and stood up, moving down the street with long strides.

"Iruka! Where are you going? "Shizune yelled, following him.

Iruka jumped to the roof of a house and went to the Hokage Mansion. On reaching the gates, he walked through the guards without even looking at them; moving to the Hokage's office, and, only with a lot of self-control, he hit the door gently.

"Come in!" Tsunade said.

Iruka entered the office, followed close by Shizune. The confusion of the previous day had been cleaned and it was back to its rightful place.

"Iruka? You need something?" Tsunade asked.

_"How can she be so calm?"_ Iruka thought. _"How could she stay here quietly while knowing about Naruto?"_

"Iruka! Don't do anything stupid!" Shizune begged, putting herself between the teacher and the Hokage.

"But what the hell is going on here, Shizune?" Tsunade asked.

"Why didn't you tell me...?" Iruka asked.

"Huh? Tell you what? "

"Hokage-sama! Why didn't you tell me that Naruto has a child?"

Tsunade's brown eyes widened.

"What...?"

"Please don't deny it" Iruka continued, very quickly. "I saw the paternity test! I know that the test is positive!"

Shizune turned to the Hokage.

"Tsunade-sama... please forgive me. Yesterday when we were tidying up the office, we saw the envelope with the test. "

Tsunade sighed and fell into the chair.

"I see... what an idiot I was. I should have hidden it in a better place... "

Upon hearing this, Iruka became even angrier.

"Then you never intended to tell us anything!"

"Iruka!" Shizune exclaimed, surprised by the sensei's fury.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Iruka continued. "Naruto must be so lost! He is too young to take care of a family. I don't care that he is the hero of Konoha. He is a still kid!"

The Hokage didn't respond.

"I don't care... I'm going to look for him," Iruka stated, causing both women stare at him. "Naruto needs help. Did the girl who he got pregnant not let him return? Is she forcing him to stay with her? "

"Iruka..." Tsunade said.

"I'll find Naruto. I will try to convince him to return to Konoha. If necessary, I'll help take care of the child... I'll help with whatever they need. "

"Silence!" the Hokage yelled, silencing the sensei. Tsunade stood up and peeked into the hall, seeing that it was empty, closed the door. After checking that they were not being spied through the windows, Tsunade also closed the blinds.

"Damn!" the Hokage growled. "This is what happens when I get drunk and careless. I think I have no choice... I'll have to tell you the truth. "

Iruka and the Shizune stared at the Hokage, in anticipation.

"Tsunade-sama...? Is it true? Naruto-kun had a baby?" Shizune asked.

"Yes... I think we can say that."

"How long do you know?" Iruka asked.

"Since a few years ago."

"Years? And you didn't say anything to anyone?" asked Iruka, feeling the anger and concern accumulating.

"It's true. Apart from me, the only ones who know it are Gaara and the frogs on Mount Myōboku" Tsunade explained, noticing Iruka's surprised expression. "You really think Naruto would not tell anyone about this? He told Gaara long before he told me. "

"Gaara knew?" Iruka asked.

"Yes."

"But why? Why all this secrecy? Why is Naruto hiding from everyone? "

"Naruto isn't hiding," Tsunade said. "There's nothing wrong with him. He does not return to Konoha because of the child. "

"The child? What's wrong with the child? "

"The child is... special."

"Special? What does that mean? Was the baby born with a health problem? "

"No ... he is completely healthy."

Iruka looked up "He?"

"It's a boy" Tsunade revealed with a smile. "Iruka ... you should have more confidence in Naruto. I have visited him several times over the years and I can tell you that he is doing a great job. "

"You visited him?" Asked Shizune. "How?"

"Gaara and I traveled through the frogs to where Naruto is living. It was I who took blood tests for the kid and I am constantly checking his health. The boy is fine. Naruto did everything parents do: he changed diapers, bathed the baby, put him to sleep, fed him, taught him to speak and walk ... well, he raised the boy alone and quite well!"

Iruka blinked, confused.

"Alone? What about the baby's mother?"

"There is no mother."

"What?"

Tsunade stood up and grabbed a small paper bag while Tonton jumped from under the desk to Shizune's arms.

"Follow me!" the Hokage ordered, leaving the office. "Do not say a word!"

Iruka and Shizune exchanged glances, but complied. Tsunade jumped to the roofs and walked to the forest that surrounded Konoha. When they were near the river, the Hokage finally gave them permission to speak.

"Tsunade-sama… why don't you want anyone to know that Naruto has a son?" Iruka asked. "Why are you being so secretive?"

"It wasn't my decision" the Hokage said, continuing to walk. "It was Naruto who asked me not to tell anybody."

"What?"

"I told Naruto to come back to Konoha... but he refused. He said it was too dangerous. "

"Dangerous? Dangerous for whom? "

"For the boy" said Tsunade.

"Naruto's son? Why would he be in danger? What's so special about this child?"

When they arrived, Iruka noticed a huge frog along the riverbank. The frog turned to them with a bored expression.

"Hokage-sama" said the frog. "I was waiting for you."

"Sorry, I'm late" said Tsunade. "There was an unexpected delay..."

The frog looked at Iruka and Shizune.

"They should not be here" the frog said.

"I know... I'll explain everything to him. Take us three" Tsunade ordered.

"Whatever."

"Wait a second, Tsunade-sama" Shizune interrupted. "What's happening? Where are we going? "

Tsunade turned to them and smiled.

"We're going to see Naruto."

* * *

Sand moved against Sasuke and pushed him against the ground. The wooden katana fell not far from him.

Gaara watched the child getting up with his usual deadpan look. Naruto was leaning against a tree.

"Want to stop?" the Kazekage asked.

Sasuke stood up and grabbed the katana.

"No! I'll do it!" the little boy cried with an unwavering gaze.

Gaara nodded and made the sand surround the child. Sasuke attacked the sand with his katana, in order to go through it and reach Gaara.

Naruto smiled at the boy's persistence. It wasn't exactly ninja training, but was enough to excite Sasuke and help him handle the katana. Naruto had to admit that the kid had a knack for sword fighting.

Sasuke attacked several times against the sand, but it always moved to stop him from moving. The boy glanced at Naruto. He had to do it! His Daddy was watching him, he could not mess this up! His father said he believed that Sasuke would be a great ninja; he had to prove him right!

_"I won'__t give up!"_ Sasuke thought, grabbing the sword harder. _"I'll make Tou-chan proud of me!"_

Sasuke started hitting the sand, but with less force more quickly, realizing that it was difficult for the sand to block him that quick. Seeing an opening, Sasuke escaped from the swirl of sand, running up to Gaara.

"I did it..." the child said, in disbelief. "I did it!"

Gaara made all the sand return back into his gourd. Naruto stood up and approached his son. Seeing Naruto, Sasuke turned full of hope.

"Tou-chan! Did you see?"

Naruto knelt down and stared at Sasuke. The boy was filled with dirt and had some scratches, which only symbolized his determination to not give up.

"What do you think, Gaara?" Naruto asked.

"He has talent," the Kazekage said. "He still has much to learn, but I think he has a lot of potential."

"I knew it. I was sure you could do it, Sasuke" Naruto said with a big grin and placing a hand on Sasuke's head. "As expected of my child."

Something resonated in Sasuke's mind. Something deep inside him reacted to those words and Sasuke felt a weight, which he did not even know existed, let go of his heart.

Naruto's smile faded when he noticed the tears that ran down Sasuke's face.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, removing his hand from the boy's head and grabbing him by the shoulders. "What happened?"

Sasuke tried to reply but the words were swallowed by his sobs. Even Gaara looked worried.

_"As __expected of my child"_

Those words echoed repeatedly in Sasuke's head. It was as if he had waited a lifetime to hear those words... much longer than his young age of 5. He felt he had achieved a long forgotten dream.

_"My father recognized my abilities. He respects me__... he is proud of me!"_

Naruto continued to stare at Sasuke with a worried expression, as the boy muffled his sobs.

"Son?"

Sasuke stared at Naruto in the eyes and clung to his shirt. Not knowing what else he could do, Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke.

"Sasuke? Did I say something wrong?"

Sasuke shook his head, his face still buried in Naruto's shirt.

"Thank you" Sasuke muttered. Naruto looked at him, confused. "Thank you for saying that. I was waiting for so long... that's… what I always wanted to…"

Naruto realized he was dealing with a very old emotion, hidden deeply in Sasuke's heart.

_"Our father was so obsessed with power that forced me to betray the village. While he ensured that I remained strong and faithful to the clan, Sasuke was ignored almost completely. It didn't matter that Sasuke was the best of his class at the Academy, or if he needed a family member to accompany him ... our father didn't see him. He was too obsessed with making the clan the new leaders of Konoha. "_

Sasuke had carried this pain all his life. He had never been able to gain true acknowledgment or respect from his father and lost him before he got the chance. He had felt he was always in second place in his father's heart, that Itachi was all that mattered. Those feeling of sorrow, dismissal and… failure had been so strong that they had remained in his heart, even after losing his memories.

_"Tou-san will be so proud of __me" _Sasuke had screamed five years ago, on that fateful night._ "He will finally look at me!"_

_"Those simple words from a father filled with pride"_ Naruto thought as Sasuke sobbed in his arms. _"That's all you wanted. A father who looked at you and had pride in what he saw. "_

Naruto leaned his head against Sasuke's face and waited until the child stopped crying. He was glad he had been able to ease some of Sasuke's inner pain.

A few minutes later, Naruto and Sasuke said goodbye to Gaara, who needed to return to Sunagakure.

Sasuke, a little embarrassed to have cried like a baby in front of his father and Gaara-san, had slightly rosy cheeks and hoped he could train with his katana again. Next time, he would not cry. He just couldn't understand why he felt so relieved all of a sudden… so loved…

"Where are we going now, Tou-chan?" Sasuke asked, as they walked to the village.

"First we go home," Naruto said. "You have to bathe. You're all dirty!"

Sasuke looked at his clothes full of dirt.

"And after the bath?"

Naruto smiled.

"We'll see..."

* * *

**Well... The phrase "as expected of my child" was what Fugaku (Sasuke's father) constantly told Itachi and what Sasuke wanted to hear. When Sasuke performed the Fire Jutsu he finally heard it, but his father also warned him not to follow Itachi's path which led Sasuke to believe that his father only saw him as a replacement for his brother.**

**Also, this is not Sasuke's real ninja training. I have plans for that! Ha! Ha!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	27. Reunion

**Yo! It's been a while, but I've been very busy these past few weeks. **

**When I write a story, I mostly write it for myself, this fanfic too. I placed it here, hoping you'll enjoy it as much as I did. I guess I must warn you that this is going to be a long fanfic because there's a lot of things I want to try out. I don't want to rush things and I want to have time to come up with new ideas and use them. After all, this is my first fanfiction. Be kind to the newb! ^_^**

**As always, thank you guys for the reviews!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Reunion**

再会 (_Saikai_)

Naruto imagined Sasuke would be exhausted after having practiced with the sword for almost two hours. Instead, the boy was restless and full of energy, leaping and jumping ahead with a broad smile.

"Tou-chan? What do we do after the bath?" the child asked.

"Hm... I don't know" Naruto replied.

"Can we eat cake?"

"Sure. A birthday must have a birthday cake."

"I want a big one!" Sasuke exclaimed. "With chocolate!"

"Ok"

Sasuke laughed and continued talking about how he'd play with his new toys and how he would build his new castle. Naruto heard him patiently, smiling at the boy's innocent cheerfulness.

When they reached the building where they lived, Sasuke burst running up the stairs.

"Race ya!" the little raven cried.

"No fair!" Naruto muttered, chasing the boy with the same joy.

A middle-aged woman shook her head, disapproving Naruto's childish behavior while a group of old ladies laughed at the scene. It was true that they were father and son, but sometimes they behave as if they were two friends of the same age.

Sasuke tried to get there first, but Naruto grabbed him by the armpits and pulled him against his chest, climbing the last few steps until he reached his apartment doorway.

"I beat you!" Naruto said with a cunning smirk.

Sasuke waved and kicked in Naruto's arms, trying in vain to free himself.

"That's not fair! You cheated, Tou-chan! "

"Cheated? No kidding" the young blond said, putting Sasuke under one arm like a sack of potatoes.

Sasuke pouted as Naruto entered the apartment. After closing the door with a key, Naruto took off his and Sasuke's sandals and walked towards the bathroom.

While Sasuke undressed and placed his dirty clothes in the laundry basket, Naruto filled the bathtub with warm water. When the tub was almost full, Naruto helped the boy get in there.

Sasuke watched his Daddy while the latter wetted his head, grabbed the shampoo, lay on his head and rubbed his black hair carefully. He knew he was still too little to take a bath by himself or a shower, but he was gonna do it soon when he got a bit older.

"Tou-chan?"

"Yes?"

"When was my birthday?"

"Huh? _Was_?"

"My _other_ birthday" the child said. "You know… when I was a grown-up."

Naruto blinked. Sasuke never asked him any questions since he had told him about his second birth, and Naruto had thought that the boy could have either forgotten or not fully understand what he had told him. Apparently, Sasuke didn't forget and wanted to know more about who he had been.

With a smile, Naruto continued to rub his raven hair.

"You had the same birthday" Naruto said, nostalgic.

"Huh? I was born the same day _again_? "Sasuke asked, surprised and somewhat disappointed. "You sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Oooh... Why did you make me be born on the same day, Tou-chan?"

Naruto was a little confused but suddenly the reason for Sasuke's disappointment became quite evident.

"You wanted to have two birthday parties" Naruto said as the boy looked away, pouting.

"If I had two birthday parties, I'd had more gifts... and two cakes."

"You really are a greedy teme. And just so you know, I was not the one who made you be born on the same day. It was your brother. "

Sasuke looked up and stared intently at Naruto.

"My Nii-san? Why?"

"I don't know..." Naruto said while rubbing the boy's back with a soapy sponge.

Sasuke didn't usually think much about when he was big. He knew he had been very sick and that was why his Nii-san had turned him into a baby. Most people who got sick were the old people, like Ryo's grandfather who had died last winter after being very sick, so Sasuke must have been already very old when he got sick too.

The little boy stared at Naruto while he was washing his scratches carefully. Ryo told him that when his grandfather became ill, he was no longer friendly and yelled at everyone. He always seemed angry.

"He was mean" Ryo had said. "He kept telling me to go way and leave him alone. Sometimes he didn't even remember who I was and told my Kaa-san that I was a thief. He wasn't my Jii-san anymore… I hated him."

Sasuke wondered if he had been like that too. He tried to imagine himself, as a very old Jii-chan, in a room very sick and cranky. His friends would have leaved him all alone as well.

"Papa?"

"Hm?"

"You... did you see me when I was sick?"

Naruto felt a little uncomfortable, but replied.

"Yes... I saw you."

Sasuke stretched his arms so Naruto could wash his hands by carefully cleaning the little fingers. However, his heart was eager for an answer.

"You liked me?"

Naruto's eyes widened. He wasn't waiting for that kind of question. Sasuke's eyes were fixed on him with some fear on answer.

"Before… when I was big... you liked me?" Sasuke again asked.

Naruto grabbed the sponge and wiped the child's smeared face. The truth was that he had never considered the Sasuke that had been his rival / best friend / enemy, and the child he had raised over the past five years as different people. For Naruto, Sasuke would always be Sasuke. It didn't matter what memories the raven hold on to, Sasuke was still the same person.

"Yes" replied Naruto with a smile. "I liked you."

The boy's eyes lit up.

"You know, Tou-chan. I liked you too" Sasuke said.

Naruto gaped in surprise.

"What…?"

"Back then… when I was a grownup, I liked you, Papa."

**"_Don't talk nonsense, you inept loser!"_**

**_"You! An idiot like you has no business acting all high and mighty!"_**

**_"You're a com__plete embarrassment!"_**

How could Sasuke say that without remembering anything? He was obviously mistaken. Sasuke had loathed Naruto. There was no way he would have felt any sort of affection for him. His former actions spoke for themselves.

Maybe Sasuke just wanted to believe that he did.

"How do you know, Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "Do you remember anything?"

"No"

"Then… why do you say that?"

Sasuke's gaze did not waver. He was sure of his feeling. He could feel it… deep inside his heart like a hidden treasure. He couldn't remember, but he didn't forget.

"I know. I can't remember, but I know I liked you a lot, Papa" Sasuke said with confidence. "I just know."

* * *

A cloud of smoke appeared in the middle of a small clearing where the frog that had carried Tsunade, Iruka, Shizune and Tonton reached its destination.

Iruka looked around him. They were not in Konoha; he didn't know that landscape. He did recognize some plants he had seen in books and encyclopedias and knew that they didn't grow on the Land of Fire.

"We're here" the frog said.

"Thank you" Tsunade answered. "We can continue from here."

"Goodbye" the frog said, disappearing once more in a cloud of white smoke.

Shizune grabbed Tonton and turned to the Hokage with a puzzled expression.

"Tsunade-sama ... where are we?" the aide asked.

"Land of Wood" the blonde Hokage revealed.

Iruka's eyes widened.

"But that is thousands of miles from Konoha!" the teacher exclaimed.

"Exactly" Tsunade said.

"Naruto has been living here?"

"No. He's been here only a few months ago. Over the last few years, Naruto has moved regularly. "

Tsunade looked around before moving on towards a trail. Iruka and Shizune followed her, exchanging confused and anxious looks.

Iruka could not believe he'd finally see Naruto. He had been waiting for this day for so long... And what about the child? Naruto's son? What did Tsunade mean when she said "there's no mother"? What could have happened? Had the girl handed the child to Naruto and left? Did she die?

The Hokage walked unhurriedly through the small trail until they reached a small road. In the distance, Iruka could see the outlines of a village.

"Naruto-kun lives in that village?" Shizune asked.

"Come on" Tsunade ordered, continuing to walk.

Iruka had to admit it seemed like a friendly village. The streets were crowded with people shopping, walking or talking with acquaintances. Groups of children were playing and laughing in the streets. He hadn't imagined Naruto living in a place like that; he always thought that impish ninja would rather go a big city with lots of action and movement where he could fool around.

"_He fooled around, alright"_ Iruka thought.

Tsunade stopped at an old but well looked after building. An old lady was sitting on the balcony of an apartment in the ground floor knitting, with a gray cat sleeping at her feet.

"Excuse me" Tsunade called. The old lady stopped knitting.

"Yes?"

"Do you know if Naruto is home?"

The old woman smiled softly.

"Yes. I just saw him going up the stairs" the old lady replied.

"Thank you" Tsunade turned to Iruka and Shizune. "Let's go."

The three climbed the stairs until they reached the third floor. Iruka's heart was beating painfully fast in his chest when Tsunade knocked.

But there was no answer. Tsunade kept knocking on the door, but no one came to open it.

"Ano... Maybe that lady was mistaken" Shizune stated. "Perhaps Naruto-kun left again."

Tsunade sighed and took a key from her pocket. Without hesitation, the Hokage put the key in the lock and opened the door.

"Hokage-sama!" Iruka exclaimed.

"It's okay" Tsunade replied. "Calm down, Iruka. Naruto gave me a key."

Tsunade entered the apartment. After exchanging glances, Iruka and Shizune did the same.

"Naruto" Tsunade called.

Iruka looked at the entrance, where they found a pair of adult sandals and another very small pair of a child's. Like a bucket of cold water, reality hit him. Naruto was right there, raising a child alone!

Down the hall, they could hear the sound of running water.

"Hmpf ... He's in the shower" Tsunade said. "We will wait for him in the living room."

The three ninjas left the hall and started walking down another corridor to the living room. Iruka expected the same chaos that he had seen numerous times in Naruto's house in Konoha: clothes and food wrappers on the floor, books and other objects and dust littered everywhere. Instead, he found a clean and tidy apartment, except for several toys scattered on the floor.

Tsunade sat at home on the sofas. Shizune did the same with a bit of apprehension.

Iruka chose to stand and walked to the balcony where several pots with various plants were sunbathing. Naruto always liked to water plants.

* * *

When finished bathing, Naruto turned off the water, grabbed a towel and began wiping Sasuke.

"Naruto!" a voice called.

Sasuke's eyes widened and he stared at his father.

"Tou-chan... Tsunade Baa-chan came over?" the young child asked.

Naruto smiled as he wrapped Sasuke in a towel and took him in his arms up to his room.

"Yes. Did you think Baa-chan would forget your birthday? "

"She brought me a present?" Sasuke asked, with a hopeful smile.

"Maybe" Naruto landed Sasuke on the bed and placed clean underwear, a shirt and shorts beside him. "You dress alone, okay? I'll talk to Baa-chan."

"Okay," Sasuke agreed.

Naruto left his son's room and ran through the corridor to the living room.

"You came early, Baa-chan" Naruto said, opening the door to the living room. "I was just expecting you to arrive..."

On entering the room, Naruto became speechless. Tsunade had not come alone... Shizune was also there, staring at him with wide eyes. Behind them, Umino Iruka stood motionless like a stone statue.

Iruka saw a ghost. Next to the doorway, was a shinobi he had not seen for nearly twenty-two years... The Fourth Hokage was there ... alive and right in front of him.

"Sensei...?" the man muttered.

Iruka gaped, not sure he'd heard right.

"Iruka... sensei...?"

_"It's not the Fourth Hokage"_ Iruka thought. The man before him was very young, almost a teenager, and was looking at him with a mixture of confusion and disbelief with his bright blue eyes.

"Naruto?" Iruka whispered.

Beside Tsunade, Shizune was tearing up.

"Naruto-kun..." she murmured.

Iruka walked a few steps, approaching the man who was once his student. The last time he saw Naruto, he was still a boy. Now he had become a man.

Naruto stayed put, with his eyes fixed on his sensei as the latter advanced toward him. His mind was paralyzed with the shock.

"YOU IDIOT!" Iruka growled, causing Naruto to jump and shrink against the wall.

"FIVE FREAKING YEARS WITHOUT SAYING A WORD? I WAS CRAZY WITH CONCERN! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?"

"Iruka-sensei... Calm down… I can explain..." Naruto said, trembling before his sensei's fury.

"NO EXCUSES! YOU ARE A RECKLESS IDIOT! YOU IRRESPONSIBLE BRAT! "

"Ah... Sensei! Don't yell at me!" Naruto replied. "I'm not a little kid anymore!"

"I SHOULD MAKE YOU WASH THE HOKAGE MONUMENT WITH A TOOTH BRUSH!" Iruka yelled, raising a hand in the air.

Naruto winced and closed his eyes, waiting for a punch in the head. Instead, Iruka wrapped his arms around Naruto and pressed his student against him. The younger ninja's eyes widened in surprise.

"It really is you..." Iruka said, feeling the tears running down his face. "I'm so glad you're okay, Naruto."

At that moment, Naruto forgot he was 22 years old and became once more the restless boy who rejoiced to be able to go to dinner at Ichiraku Ramen with his sensei instead of having to eat alone at home. With a sinking heart, Naruto became aware of the longing he had.

"I... I missed you so much, Iruka-sensei" Naruto said softly, returning the hug.

"I missed you too" the teacher said, turning away a little better to see Naruto. "You look so grown up... You're a man now."

Naruto smiled and blushed slightly.

"Really?"

"I barely recognized you."

Naruto continued to smile and crossed his arms behind his head. After all, Iruka thought, Naruto was still the same as always.

"Naruto-kun... You look so mature. And you have become a very handsome man" Shizune said.

"Handsome?" Naruto asked, very surprised. "You think I'm handsome?"

"Hmpf" Tsunade snorted. "It's the wonders of puberty. But don't get all cocky, Naruto. "

Naruto turned to the Hokage with a grimace. Suddenly, he remembered that Iruka or Shizune were not supposed to be there! What the hell had happened?

"Baa-chan... Why have you brought them?" Naruto asked, causing everyone to tense suddenly. "What happened?"

Tsunade sighed and slowly replied, "They found the paternity test."

Naruto blinked glared at the Hokage.

"Baa-chan, you promised! You said you'd keep it a secret! I can't believe this!"

"And I kept the secret" Tsunade shot back. "I was just reckless with that document"

"Reckless?"

"Naruto ..." Iruka said softly, making Naruto turn to him. "Shizune and I know that you have a son. You shouldn't have hidden this from all the people who care about you. You should have returned to Konoha. "

Naruto squinted and looked at Iruka with a puzzled expression.

"We would help you take care for him, Naruto" Iruka continued. "You can count on me... on us for anything."

"That's right, Naruto-kun" Shizune said, pressing Tonton against her chest. "You could have returned to the village with the child. Nobody would condemn you for what you did. A birth should be a good thing."

"Eh?" Naruto said, increasingly confused.

"You didn't need to go through this alone" Iruka said with passion. "And I believe part of this is my fault... I should have talked to you before."

"Before? Talk about what? "

"About..." Iruka blushed. "About sex."

Naruto's eyes widened and he blushed like a tomato.

"Sex?"

"I understand, Naruto," Iruka continued. "You were sad and vulnerable. The boys your age start to become interested in women. They want to do things with them... touch them... and..."

"Stop it right there!" Naruto shouted, red and sweating. "What the hell is going on here? What did you tell them, Baa-chan? "

Tsunade smiled, amused.

"I didn't tell them anything," the Hokage said. "They found the test and I confirmed that you had a child. I didn't tell them anything else. "

Naruto pulled himself together and stared at Iruka and Shizune.

"So...? They don't know? "

"Know what?" Iruka asked, also confused.

Naruto opened his mouth to speak but the sound of a creaking door, made everyone turn around.

"Tou-chan?" asked a child's small voice.

Naruto tensed.

Iruka watched with wide eyes, the child who went timidly into the living room. The first thing he thought was that the boy was really cute. The child was pale but his cheeks were slightly flushed due to shyness. His hair was black and was quite wet and flat. The boy was dressed in a simple light blue shirt and dark blue shorts. His eyes, black as coal, stared at Naruto and the strangers with an uncomfortable gaze.

Calmly, Naruto smiled.

"Hey! Come here" Naruto said, stretching out a hand.

The boy stared at his hand and moved quickly towards Naruto, clinging to his legs. Naruto laid a hand on the timid boy's back.

"Naruto" Iruka muttered, without looking away from the child.

"Tou-chan... Who's them?" the boy asked.

The blond shinobi continued to smile as he turned to the little boy who was hiding behind him.

"They are friends from my hometown" Naruto explained, trying to remain calm and ease the boy. "That lady there," he said pointing to Shizune. "It's Shizune Nee-chan. The piglet in her arms is called Tonton."

"H-Hello" Shizune greeted.

"Buhi!" Tonton growled cheerfully.

"Hello..." the boy replied.

Naruto turned to Iruka.

"This mister is Iruka-sensei" said Naruto. "He was my sensei when I was at the Academy. He was always punishing me because I always got into trouble!"

The boy looked curiously at Iruka.

"Hello" he greeted.

"Ah... Hello" Iruka greeted back.

Iruka felt a tingling in his neck. He had the feeling that he had seen that kid before, but couldn't say where. However, it was impossible!

"Happy birthday, gaki" Tsunade exclaimed cheerfully.

The child looked at the Hokage and relaxed as he saw a familiar face.

"Hello, Tsunade Baa-chan!"

Tsunade approached the boy and knelt facing him.

"You're getting taller" the blonde Hokage said. "Soon you'll be taller than me."

"Uh-huh! Tou-chan said I grew up. One of my sweaters doesn't fit anymore. It's really small!"

"I see... Oh! What are these scratches?" Tsunade asked, noticing the small wounds and bruises on the boy's arms.

"I've been practicing with my new katana" the child said with pride. "Gama Jii-chan gave me a katana today!"

"Really?"

"Yes. It's really cool!"

"Glad you liked to practice with your katana, but you must be careful not to hurt yourself."

"I didn't hurt much."

"You have to be careful. And your hair is all wet, you'll catch a cold" Tsunade scolded, throwing Naruto an angry look.

"I just finished giving him a bath" Naruto shot back. "I didn't have time to dry his hair."

"Honestly..." Tsunade sighed, standing up, opening a drawer of a dresser and pulling out a towel. "Let me wipe up that head before you start sneezing."

Iruka watched as Tsunade dried the little boy's hair with a towel. He never tried to imagine how Naruto's son would look like, but that boy had surprised him. He didn't resemble Naruto at all, not even in personality. With those black hair and eyes, the boy looked a lot like...

Tsunade pulled the towel from the boy's head and helped him to comb his unruly hair. Iruka opened his mouth and stared at him, his eyes bulging. He felt his mouth dry and his heart beat faster against the ribs.

The boy's dark hair stood on the back of his head forming small spikes; it hanged over both sides of his face to roughly frame his cheeks and hanging over his forehead. It was the same hairstyle he had seen on one of his students... one of his _**dead**_ students...

It couldn't be. There was no way Iruka was seeing who thought he was seeing. He was dead… he was gone!

"Sasuke..." the sensei whispered, very pale.

Upon hearing his name, the boy turned to the teacher.

"Yes?"

Iruka's eyes became impossibly wide. Shizune looked at Tsunade and Iruka in shock.

"What?" the assistant groaned.

Iruka continued to stare at the small child in front of him without wanting to believe what he saw. It was impossible! Sasuke was dead! He died five years ago when Naruto killed him to protect the world. But the more he looked at that boy the more Iruka saw his former student. The resemblance was undeniable, but it could not be him! Sasuke would be 22 years old by now and the boy in front of him was just a young child, little more than a baby.

But he answered him by that name... Sasuke.

Shizune moved forward and also watched the boy more closely.

"Sa... Sasuke-kun?" Shizune asked slowly.

The boy turned to her, confused.

"Your name... is your name Sasuke?" Shizune asked.

"Yes" the child confirmed slowly. "I'm Sasuke."

Iruka opened his mouth in amazement and disbelief. His eyes were then focused on Naruto, who lowered his face.

"Sasuke" said Tsunade. "Let's take care of these scratches before you get an infection."

Sasuke looked at Tsunade a little nervous.

"Baa-chan... I don't want needles!"

"I'm not giving you a shot" the Hokage assured. "I will only heal those scratches. Come on! "

Sasuke looked at Naruto. The young ninja gave him a pat on the back.

"Go with Baa-chan, Sasuke" Naruto said. "I'll be with you soon."

"You'll still play with me?"

"Yeah."

Sasuke nodded and gave his hand to Tsunade, who took him out of the living room.

When their footsteps became out of earshot, Naruto turned to Iruka and Shizune and sighed deeply.

Iruka's mind was racing. Who was that boy? He looked like Sasuke's carbon copy. Was it a clone? An unknown relative? A transformation technique?

"Naruto..." Iruka said still in shock. "Naruto... Who is that kid?"

Naruto stared at Iruka and Shizune for a few seconds.

"Naruto-kun?"

Since there was nothing he could do, Naruto's turned to the two anxious and confused ninjas with a serious expression on his face.

"He's... he's Sasuke" Naruto finally said.

"What?"

"He's **_our _**Sasuke."

Iruka turned pale.

"Sasuke? Not... the same Sasuke who you...? "

Naruto nodded.

"You just saw Uchiha Sasuke" Naruto revealed. "In the flesh."

* * *

**Sorry... cliffy... again. **

**Well, Sasuke is a little kid so it's easier for him to believe he got sick because he was very old (imagine Sasuke as an old cranky geezer... lol). Sasuke's eagerness to know if Naruto liked him when he was "big" was on the same basis a child asks his daddy if he loved him while he was in his mommy's tummy.**

**To those who watched Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles or played Kingdom Hearts, you'll soon find a similar theme.**

**Oh! And please check out "Raven's Fall". I'll probably update that one first. So far, no one was able to guess what is going on that fic.**

**See you later and thanks for reading!**


	28. The Heart Remembers

**Hey! I'm sorry for the delay but I've been busy as hell. I saw an ovary with cancer which weighted 3 kg (6,6 pounds)! Holy crap! All of us girls were creeped out from that.**

**Well, this chapter is quite long and I hope you enjoy it. This is also the first time I use a quote from another series.**

**I don't own either Naruto or Kingdom Hearts... or Final Fantasy VII.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_"You're not in my memory, but my heart remembers you." _Yuffie Kisaragi, Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories

* * *

**The Heart Remembers**

心が覚えている _(Kokoro ga oboete iru)_

"Breathe… breathe… breathe…" Naruto and Shizune said in unison as Iruka became more and more flushed. He was about to hyperventilate.

Iruka continued to take long deep breaths, trying not faint.

"Breathe… breathe… breathe" Shizune continued.

Naruto looked at his sensei with a drop of sweat running down his forehead. It looked like Iruka was going into to labor… Geez…

Iruka finally calmed himself down enough to speak.

"How? How can he be Sasuke? That's impossible. He's dead! You said... "

"He didn't die" Naruto interrupted. "He was never dead. I... I lied. I asked Baa-chan to lie to you. "

Naruto was nervous, half afraid that Iruka and Shizune were going to be mad at him for having deceived them for so long, half afraid they were resentful of Sasuke ... and rejected him.

"Naruto-kun ... Why don't you tell us what happened? From the start" Shizune suggested, trying to stay calm.

Naruto sat on the sofa, facing them. Tsunade had led Sasuke to the bathroom, so there was little chance of him being able to hear them. The blond took a deep breath and spoke.

"I left Konoha to find Sasuke" Naruto said, starting at the very beginning. "He was destroying village after village... you remember... He wanted to lure me there. Kill me. So I asked Baa-chan to let me go to him alone. Sasuke only wanted me and I didn't want to put anyone else in danger. "

Naruto's blue eyes met those of Iruka.

"When I found that village, he had already destroyed everything. We fought all night, and we were seriously fighting. I knew I had to kill him... there was no other solution. When Sasuke used Tsukuyomi ... well... it was all very confusing. Itachi appeared" Naruto nodded towards the disbelief in Iruka and Shizune's faces. "He was not quite Itachi ... it was some kind of chakra projection... I don't know what the hell that was. I just know that Itachi gave me some of his powers when he put me under in a genjutsu."

"What? When did Itachi do that to you?" Iruka asked.

"It happened when we went looking for him, when we wanted to capture him in order to lure Sasuke to Konoha."

"Why didn't you tell us, Naruto-kun?" Shizune asked.

Naruto raised his arms in the air, helplessly.

"I didn't think it was important. He didn't hurt me and I didn't feel bad, so I thought that there was no problem. Anyway... the jutsu that Itachi implanted on me could only be activated if Sasuke used Tsukuyomi, using his eyes. That's what he told me. "

"Implantation of a jutsu..." mused Shizune. "That is difficult and risky."

"What jutsu did he implant on you, Naruto?" Iruka asked. "What did Itachi do to you?"

"The jutsu wasn't for me. It was for Sasuke" Naruto replied. "Next thing I know, a tornado was swirling around Sasuke and I felt that all my chakra was being sucked out of my body. What happened next, I dunno. I just fainted and woke up in the morning. Itachi disappeared and I couldn't see Sasuke anywhere ... only his clothes. I approached them and that was when I heard a noise that sounded like a whine... When I looked down Sasuke's shirt, I found him. He was a baby. "

"A baby?" Iruka squeaked. "That's impossible!"

"That's what I thought. I couldn't believe it, but there he was ... Uchiha Sasuke in all his glory. The jutsu that Itachi used makes a person go back in time and Sasuke lost seventeen years of his life! The jutsu regressed him to the moment of his birth... he was covered in blood and goo... He even had the umbilical cord and everything!"

"What did you do then?" Shizune asked.

"I panicked! Sasuke was lying in front of me, screaming and crying his eyes out and I didn't know what to do. So I grabbed him, wrapped him in my coat and asked Gamakichi to take me to Mount Myōboku. I tried to talk to Sasuke, but he ignored me. He couldn't understand what I was saying ... he didn't even remember me! Then I realized... He didn't know anything and he couldn't remember anything... or anyone. "

Iruka fell into the sofa and ran his hands over his face.

"Oh my God..." the sensei sighed, trying to assimilate the information."Sasuke... lost his memories? Are you sure he didn't remember anything?"

Naruto nodded.

"I'm sure. Not only he couldn't remember anything, but he also acted like a true baby as well. He cried, cooed and drooled... He had no teeth, couldn't walk… _He_ _lost bowel and bladder control!_" Naruto exclaimed, recalling the panic of those first days. "I spent weeks without sleeping because he cried all night. I spent a fortune on diapers! I had to change his diaper almost twelve times a day. I never saw so much crap in my whole life."

"Why didn't you bring him to Konoha, Naruto?" Iruka asked.

"I was scared" replied the blond young man. "My mission was to eliminate Sasuke. But I wasn't able to kill him when he was in that state... If I took him to Konoha, they would insist to kill him. Either that or they would capture him and study him as a guinea pig. I couldn't risk it. So I decided to keep him in Mont Myōboku until I found the name of the jutsu that Itachi used... to discover how to reverse it and make Sasuke go back to normal. I used Ero-Sennin's contacts, but found nothing. So I decided to seek help from Gaara, but I made him promise not to say anything to anybody."

Iruka looked at Shizune. Both began to understand what had happened.

"You found nothing, right?" Shizune concluded.

To their surprise, Naruto shook his head.

"Gaara found the clan that created the jutsu" Naruto explained. "Nearly eight months had passed since the jutsu was casted. I took Sasuke to their village and asked the clan leader to undo the jutsu; it was then that she told me that the jutsu was irreversible."

"Irreversible?" Iruka was stunned. "There's nothing we can do? Sasuke can't return to normal?"

"No... Sasuke will have to grow as a normal child all over again... All the memories he had, the knowledge, jutsus... it's all gone. "

Iruka sighed and interlaced his fingers. Sasuke had lost not only his memories but also lost all the power he attained over the years. For someone like him, be reduced to a helpless child with no power should be the worst punishment in the world. The pursuit of power and strength had been the reason why Sasuke lived, and he lost all that in an instant.

Naruto waited until they got the information before proceeding.

"There's more ..."

The two ninjas turned to face him.

"More? How can possibly be more?" Iruka asked.

"Turning Sasuke into a baby was only half the jutsu" Naruto explained. "The other half hadn't been activated yet."

Shizune shifted uncomfortably.

"What do you mean?"

"During the months that I took care of Sasuke, he acknowledged me... as his father" Iruka's eyes widened. "For all intents and purposes, I was his parent. I looked after him, clothed him, washed him, fed him, calmed him when he cried, played with him, nursed him when he was sick ... Sasuke simply deduced that he and I were father and son. He wanted that bond between us... he was just a baby.

Itachi put a seal on me and Sasuke… an adoption seal. The seal was created to adopt a child into a clan, giving him blood and chakra. Sasuke had been absorbing my chakra over the months we were together. If I wanted to adopt him, I would have to give my blood and chakra and accept the bond that Sasuke wanted to make with me. "

"The bond between a parent and a child" concluded Shizune.

Naruto smiled.

"I don't know when it started or how, but the truth is that I started thinking about Sasuke as if he was mine. I wanted to protect him and take care of him, but that feeling scared me because I did not want to lose our friendship... When he started calling me Papa... Well, I panicked. I thought it was best to give Sasuke to a _real _family, who knew how to raise him well. But when I tried to leave him... I just couldn't do it, so I finished the jutsu and gave him my blood. "

"That's why the paternity test is positive," Shizune said. "Your blood runs in his veins."

Naruto turned to stare at Iruka intensely.

"I couldn't take him to Konoha. It was too risky. If they find out that he is Uchiha Sasuke, people would want to get revenge on him. So I decided to wait several years until things calm down and people start to forget. He's just a child now and he never had the opportunity to be one. I want him to have a happy childhood. "

Iruka closed his eyes. He understood Naruto's reasons.

"What about Sasuke?" the sensei said. "Does he know who he was?"

"Not quite. I told him that he was an adult who was turned into a baby by his big brother" Naruto said. "He knows I adopted him through _"ninja magic",_ but I still haven't told him anything else. He's still too young to understand."

Tsunade entered the room making 3 pairs of eyes focus on her.

"Sasuke is in his room playing," the Hokage said. "He was thrilled with my gift."

"What did you give him, Baa-chan?"

"I gave him a red rubber ball. All kids like to play ball" Tsunade's expression became serious. "I suppose Naruto told you everything."

"Tsunade-sama ... how long have you known about Sasuke-kun?" Shizune asked.

"Naruto wrote me a letter after he completed the adoption jutsu and told me everything," Tsunade said. "I asked him to bring Sasuke to Konoha to examine him myself."

"You came to Konoha?" Iruka asked Naruto.

"I came to show Baa-chan Sasuke when he was 8 ½ months old. Then she let me travel the world. She and Gaara are the only ones who know where I am. "

"Publicly, I had to "_kill"_ Uchiha Sasuke" said Tsunade. "Konoha was receiving a lot of pressure from other nations. If Sasuke was captured, they would demand his execution regardless of his physical or mental state. The only way to save him is to declare him dead and create new documents and a new name for him. "

"A new name?" Iruka was confused. "What did you named him?"

"Uzumaki Sasuke" Naruto said. "I gave him my surname."

"Naruto was registered as his father. Obviously they would have to bear the same surname" Tsunade said. "Sasuke has been given a second chance; we'll see what he'll do with it."

* * *

The birthday boy was playing with his new toys, oblivious to the adults' conversations. Sasuke placed the red rubber ball that Baa-chan had given him with his new katana and hoped to play with it still today.

When he heard someone knocking at the door, the boy raised his black eyes.

"Come in" Sasuke said, putting down the two dolls in his hands.

Iruka opened the door slowly and looked at the boy with a nervous expression. What should he say to a former student who was believed to be dead? Who betrayed his village? Who became a murderer?

"Hi" Iruka greeted.

"Hi..." Sasuke replied, a bit confused.

"Eh... do you mind if I talk to you for a while? You can continue to play if you want."

Sasuke blinked. I didn't know that mister, but his Daddy had said that he had been his sensei, so it should be fine…

"Ok"

Iruka gave a small smile and entered the room, sitting in front of Sasuke and his new toys. Iruka met Sasuke when he was placed in his class at the Academy. At the time, Sasuke was only 7 years old but he already seemed like a very promising student. He was serious, studious, hardworking and very mature for his age. He did not expect less of a member of the prominent Uchiha clan that was practically made up of members of the elite. Sasuke also had to fight to escape Itachi's shadow, his prodigious brother.

When his parents died and Itachi was gone, the glow of innocence completely disappeared from Sasuke eyes.

"Are you a teacher?" Sasuke asked.

"Huh? Well... yes... I am."

The little boy looked at him with childlike interest.

"All my teachers are ladies" Sasuke said.

"Really?"

"Yes. You work in a kindergarten?"

"No. I teach older children."

"Are they good?"

"Not all the time. Sometimes they are very naughty. "

Sasuke smiled. It was a simple and innocent smile, typical of a child. Iruka had never seen Sasuke smile like that.

"And you punish the kids? Do you send them to the detention corner for a time-out? "

"No, it doesn't work with them. When they misbehave, I yell at them and make them to do tasks at school. Sometimes I give them a slap on the head. "

Sasuke chuckled.

"I've never been bad" the boy boasted. "I was never sent to detention... well ... when I hit Kenji sensei sent me home, but that was only once!"

Iruka laughed, too. Sasuke grabbed one of his dolls and made it climb the stairs of the wooden castle. His room was the typical bedroom of a small boy. The toys were scattered on the floor, but the rest were on their rightful place. On the wall above the bed were several drawings and on the dresser was a single photograph.

Curious, Iruka stood up and grabbed the frame. It was a picture of the frogs and Naruto with a black-haired baby in his arms. Naruto was smiling and glowing with joy. The baby seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

Sasuke saw Iruka looking at the photograph and approached him.

"That's me in the photo," Sasuke said. Iruka lowered the frame so that Sasuke could point with his little finger. "This baby is me!"

"I see."

Sasuke pointed at Naruto.

"And this is my Tou-chan" the smile on the boy's face was as instinctive as the love he felt. "He was very different back then."

The sensei turned to Sasuke, holding the frame on the right hand.

"You like Naruto, Sasuke?" he asked.

Sasuke looked at him as if he had said something ridiculous.

"Of course I do! He's my father!" the child cried.

Iruka sat on the floor. It was still hard to believe that Sasuke had become Naruto's son; it was even harder to believe the boy's obvious unconditional love for Naruto.

"Is Naruto a good father? You like to live with him? "

Sasuke also sat on the floor.

"He's very funny and is always laughing" replied Sasuke. "Tou-chan always plays with me after work and reads me stories before I go to sleep. He's the nicest Daddy in the whole wide world."

Iruka smiled again.

"That sounds nice. You two must be happy, huh?"

"Huh-huh."

_"You __really do love Naruto as a father. Right, Sasuke? "_

Carefully, Iruka put the photo on the dresser. The last time he saw Sasuke was during the war. He could still see him perfectly, angry, arrogant and filled with bloodlust. He didn't recognize, or he didn't want to recognize, that mad teenager had been one of his brightest students.

When a student graduated, Iruka liked to think he or she had a future full of opportunities ahead. Seeing Sasuke, Iruka could only grieve over his cruel fate.

"Naru... your Dad told us about your brother" Iruka said.

Sasuke lifted his head.

"He told you?"

"Yes."

"So ... you know about ..." Sasuke looked from side to side and lowered his voice until it became a whisper. "...the secret?"

Iruka could not help smiling.

"Yes."

"But you cannot tell anyone else."

"Don't worry. The secret is safe with me. "

Sasuke frowned, he was not convinced. That glare of distrust was so typical of Sasuke that made Iruka smile even more.

"I swear by my honor."

Sasuke shrugged and returned to his new toys. Heck, he behaved exactly like a child.

"So ... what do you do in kindergarten, Sasuke?" asked Iruka.

The boy's distrust disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

"I play with the other boys... Mayura-sensei teaches us songs and games... I make drawings. We began to learn how to count and write. "

"Wow. Is it difficult? "

Sasuke shook his head.

"Just a little. I can already count up to ten and I can almost write my name, but the scribbles..."

"The kanji?

"Yes. The kanji are difficult to write. "

"I see... You have to practice a lot. But later you'll be able to read your stories by yourself. "

"And mangas?"

Iruka laughed. After all, Sasuke was not as serious as he imagined. Who knew he liked toys and comic books like the other children?

"And mangas. What kind of mangas you like most? "

"Hm ... the ones with many fights. My Tou-chan likes to read mangas too. "

Iruka was not too surprised. Naruto was and always would be childlike.

"Oh ... Really?"

"Yeah" Sasuke nodded. "But I don't really like the mangas he reads."

"Huh?"

"There are only naked girls there. No fights or anything! I don't understand why he likes it... "

"He…WHAT?" Iruka said. "He's been reading that stuff... _in front of you?"_

Sasuke shook his head.

"No. I found many of those mangas under his bed. And magazines too... "

"Magazines?"

"With two naked ladies hugging and giving kisses on the mouth. Sensei... why were those ladies doing that? "

Iruka blushed and began to sweat, but struggled to smile.

"Don't worry about it... it's adult stuff."

Sasuke blinked, slightly confused, but asked no more questions. If it was adult stuff, it should be boring.

On the other hand, Iruka was fuming. Damn you, Naruto! He had become a bigger pervert than he imagined. He had to talk to him... urgently.

"I like mangas with ninjas" Sasuke said, making Iruka face him again.

"You like ninjas?"

Sasuke's eyes shone as he smiled.

"Ninjas are the coolest! When I grow up I'll be a ninja just like them! "

The sensei blinked. Sasuke never had a dream before that Iruka knew of, only goals.

"I like to play ninja" Sasuke continued, very enthusiastic, pointing to a wooden sword on the floor. "Gama Jii-chan gave me that katana today and I went through Gaara-san's sand with it."

"So the katana was your first ninja weapon, eh?"

Sasuke nodded.

"When I'm ninja, I'll beat all the bad guys because I'll be very, very strong."

Iruka heard countless children make those statements when they went to the Academy. At that age, all they wanted was to be able to do all the cool jutsus they heard about, yet had no idea what being a ninja was really about. Some never discovered.

"So ... you want to be strong?" the teacher asked.

"Yes!"

"And why do you want to defeat the bad guys and be strong?"

The boy's enthusiasm was replaced by bewilderment.

"Why? Because they are mean. I can only defeat the bad guys if I'm strong. "

"But why do you want to defeat the bad guys?" Iruka insisted.

"Because... because they hurt people."

The sensei came up to Sasuke.

"So you want to be strong so the bad guys don't hurt anyone, right?"

"Yeah."

"You want to protect the people you love, right? So that the bad guys won't hurt them. "

"Protect...? What's that? "

"Protect it means to look after." Iruka explained. "Keeping someone important to you safe and not let anyone or anything hurt them."

Sasuke had never thought of that. He wanted to be a ninja because it was cool, but if a bad guy or a monster tried to hurt someone he loved, he had to be strong not to let him.

Suddenly, Sasuke remembered the monster he had seen in his nightmares. The monster who wanted to hurt Naruto.

"Someone important... like Tou-chan?" the boy asked.

Iruka was surprised, but nodded with a smile.

"Yes. Like your Tou-chan. "

"I'll be very strong," said Sasuke again. "I'll be the strongest ninja in the world and the bad guys won't hurt anyone. I'll be big and strong and protect Tou-chan."

"That's the spirit."

Suddenly, Sasuke stood up and walked to a drawer in his dresser.

"Iruka-sensei! I want to show you something!" the boy exclaimed, pulling a bunch of paper sheets of the drawer.

"What?" Iruka asked as the child approached him again.

Sasuke sat on the floor and put his designs in front of the sensei.

"This is what I'm gonna do when I'm a ninja" said the boy, passing a couple of drawings to the sensei's hands.

Iruka looked at the drawings. Sasuke had drawn himself, fighting various ninjas much bigger than him, and against various monsters.

"The drawings are very good," the teacher said with kindness.

Sasuke blushed slightly and smiled as Iruka observed the drawings that represented the boy's fantasies. Suddenly, the sensei's hand stopped.

"This... this is..."

Sasuke got up and stood next to sensei to see which the drawing was.

"Oh! This is very old" the child said with a smile. "I did this when Baa-chan gave me the wood kunai and shurikens."

Iruka's eyes remained fixed on the child's drawing.

Sasuke had drawn himself again, but he was not alone in the picture. On Sasuke's left side was a pink haired girl who wore a red dress, to his right side, was a blond boy dressed in orange. On the back, a white-haired man, with a mask covering the bottom of his face, rose above the three kids. All of them were smiling and the kids were holding hands.

Team 7. Sasuke had draw his former team

"Sasuke ..." Iruka muttered, still dumbfounded. "Sasuke... who are these people?"

The boy grabbed the drawing and looked at it closely.

"This is my team," the child said innocently. "When we have a mission, we all go together. This one here" he pointed to Kakashi "is our sensei. He is super strong... This girl ... "he pointed to Sakura."She is still very weak and sometimes she's annoying but she's very smart. And this boy here, "he pointed to Naruto."He's a Dobe who is always doing stupid things... but he is cool and funny."

Iruka was speechless. Sasuke lost his memory, but had just described his former team perfectly. Had Naruto told him? No ... he just told him that he was an adult transformed into baby. So ... how could Sasuke know all this?

"You know these people?" Iruka asked.

Sasuke shook his head.

"I only see them when I'm playing ninja" Sasuke explained.

"You see them?"

"Only in my head," the boy replied.

"You know their names?" Iruka asked.

Sasuke looked at his ex-sensei.

"No. But I don't mind! They are make-believe. "

Iruka nodded slowly. Naruto had told him about the _"echoes"_ of Sasuke's erased memories and how they could manifest in the form of dreams or feelings of déjà vu. Apparently, they could also appear as imaginary friends.

Sasuke continued to look at his drawing with a smile.

"Why are you smiling, Sasuke," the teacher asked.

Sasuke looked away from the drawing and stared at the sensei again.

"I like them" the boy said with conviction. "I feel happy when I think of them."

Iruka gaped.

"Huh? Why?"

Sasuke's smile was genuine.

"Because they're my friends."

Iruka's eyes widened.

* * *

_"We loved him… me, Naruto and Kakashi-sensei. But he didn't care about our love, or us.__" Sakura said. "Something broke inside him the day his parents died... something that nobody could fix. The more I think of our past, the more I realize how Naruto and I were blind. Sasuke-kun never saw us as friends. "_

_"Sakura ... I'm sure that's not true."_

_"Yes it is, sensei. A true friend doesn't try to kill his other friends, a friend doesn't abandon friends or make them feel like trash" Sakura said, turning to Iruka with a sad smile. "He didn't care for us. Sasuke-kun was not our friend; I think he just wasn't able to be one. __His heart was too broken."_

* * *

Iruka lowered his face.

_"Sasuke... you did love them_" Iruka thought_. "They thought you didn't want to know about_ _them and that the time you spent with the team meant nothing to you ... Even you believed in that... but deep down your heart, you loved them... you still love them. Even if your memories are long gone, the feelings you had for them remained. "_

Sasuke stopped smiling and blinked.

"Iruka-sensei... are you crying?"

Iruka noticed the tears that ran down his cheeks and wiped them quickly.

"Are you sad, Sensei?" The boy asked, worried.

"No... I'm fine," Iruka said with a choked voice. "I'm very happy."

"Happy?"

Iruka laid a hand on the raven's head.

_"I'm very glad you're okay__ now, Sasuke. You finally got rid of all that hatred which was destroying you. Thank God. "_

Sasuke was a little confused by the sensei's strange behavior, but he didn't seem to be a bad man and was actually very friendly. Sasuke felt he could trust him.

Iruka took his hand of his former student's head and stared at the drawing.

"Mind if I stay with this picture?"

Sasuke nodded and handed the drawing to the sensei, glad he wanted it because it meant it was a good drawing.

"You can keep it" the child replied. "I can do more."

Iruka grabbed the drawing and looked at the boy.

"The drawing has a title?"

"Hm... no. Never thought of a title... "

"But if you wanted to name the drawing, what would you call it?"

"Hmmm ..." Sasuke looked at the drawing with a thoughtful expression. "_Friends_! I'll call it _friends_. "

Iruka smiled at him.

"It's a good title. How about writing down the name in the drawing? "

"But ... I can't write it... I dunno how to…"

Iruka grabbed a notebook and a pencil.

"I'll teach you."

As Iruka discovered, Sasuke was still a fast learner. After several attempts in a small notebook, Sasuke grabbed a pencil and wrote various kanji at the top of the drawing.

友達 を 見る

_Friends._

"Is it good?" the little raven asked.

Iruka grabbed the drawing.

"It's excellent," the sensei said, placing the sheet of paper in his pouch.

After two knocks, the bedroom door opened and Naruto came in, smiling to see his sensei with Sasuke.

"Hey! It's everything all right in here?" the young blond asked. "Are you guys having fun?"

"Tou-chan!" Sasuke cried with joy, seeing his father. "Come play with me?"

Naruto laughed and nodded.

"We'll leave soon" said Naruto. "Today we dine out."

"Really?"

"Sure."

Sasuke turned to Iruka.

"Do you wanna come too, sensei?" Sasuke asked.

"I ... ah ... ok ... thanks."

"It'll be cool, Iruka-sensei" said Naruto.

"Yeah! And were gonna eat cake!" Sasuke exclaimed cheerfully.

Iruka could not believe his ears. Sasuke... _the_ Sasuke, liked cake?

"Sounds great, Sasuke" Iruka said, rising from the ground. "But if you don't mind, I would like to talk with Naruto for a bit."

Naruto blinked.

"Huh?"

Iruka grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him out of the room.

"Iru... Iruka-sensei! What the hell?"

Iruka stopped in the kitchen and shut the door.

"I know about the porn collection hidden under your bed, Naruto" Iruka said with a very angry glare.

Naruto opened his mouth in shock and blushed.

"What? How do you know? "

"Because Sasuke found the mangas and the magazines."

The Naruto's distress turned into mortification. Sasuke discovered his hentai collection?

"For years I regretted never having spoken with you because I lacked the courage" the sensei said. "But the time has come."

Naruto took two steps, very nervous.

"The time? The time for what?"

"I guess you'll have this conversation with Sasuke in a few years, so pay close attention. It's time you become responsible. "

Naruto's eyes widened when Iruka took a packet of condoms from his pocket. The blond took two steps back again and tried to escape but, unless he jumped through the small window, there was no escape possible.

"Now ... where do you keep the bananas?" Iruka asked to a crimson and trembling Naruto.

* * *

"Tou-chan... you're red" Sasuke said, clutching the hand of Naruto as they walked to the restaurant.

"Uhhh ..." Naruto groaned, thinking of the awkward _"talk"_ he had with Iruka. He would never eat a banana again!

"You okay, Tou-chan?"

"Yeah ... I'm fine" the blond replied. _"I just had the most embarrassing experience of my life."_

"What were you and Iruka-sensei talking about?" the child asked with curiosity.

"Uh... Nothing! Nothing important! "Naruto rushed to say. He didn't want to think he was going to have the same "talk" with Sasuke until a future, far, far away.

The restaurant where they had dinner was old but had a good atmosphere and, most importantly, a playground at the back where children could play.

Naruto, Sasuke, Tsunade, Shizune and Iruka sat at a table, while Tonton lay on the floor. The meal went quietly and relaxed. Shizune chatted with Sasuke enthusiastically about his favorite games, Tsunade and Iruka talked to Naruto about what he had done and about what's new in Konoha.

When the birthday cake arrived and everyone sang "Happy Birthday", Sasuke felt happier than ever. It was like his family had suddenly increased. It was a different family than of his classmates in kindergarten... but he liked it.

After making a wish and blow out the candles (though everyone knew what was the wish that he asked), Sasuke asked permission to leave the table and play with Tonton in the playground. Tsunade nodded and the boy ran out with Tonton behind him. The children, who were already in the playground, were delighted and asked if they could play with Tonton too. Within seconds, the playground was filled with screams and laughter of kids as they played catch with the pig.

A few hours later, Sasuke returned to the restaurant with Tonton following. The exhausted boy climbed into Naruto's lap and laid his head on his shoulder. Shortly after that, he was sleeping.

The four ninjas left the restaurant and headed to Naruto's home, while Sasuke slept peacefully in his arms.

Shizune smiled at Sasuke's closeness with Naruto.

"He's really tired," murmured the Hokage's aide. "He fell asleep right away."

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. He had a full day" the blond whispered, careful not to wake the sleeping boy. "But I think he enjoyed himself. I'm very happy that Sasuke can finally enjoy his childhood, without having to worry about revenge. "

"He seems like a very nice kid" Shizune said.

"He is. I always knew this teme could be a good person... if he had a chance. I just wish that our friendship had been strong enough to save him... but it wasn't. "

Iruka approached Naruto and took the drawing of his pouch.

"Naruto... you have seen this drawing?" the sensei said.

Naruto stared at the drawing and his eyes widened in amazement.

"He drew this...?" the blond asked, staring at the drawing of Team 7.

Iruka nodded.

"He doesn't know who people in the drawing are, but he knows that they're special to him" the teacher said. "He was blinded by hatred and anger but, deep down, Sasuke never forgot his team... his friends... he loves you all and always loved."

Moved, Naruto turned his face to the sleeping child on his shoulder. Despite all the hatred, contempt and indifference, Sasuke loved his team. After all, there was more than hatred and obsession with his clan inside his heart...

Naruto pressed his face against Sasuke's cheek and smiled as a lonely tear slipped down his face.

* * *

When they reached the apartment, Naruto took Sasuke to his bedroom, undressed him and dressed his pajamas carefully not to wake him. When his son was lying in bed, the blond closed the door quietly and went to the living room.

"You see now why I didn't tell anyone?" Naruto said, turning to Iruka and Shizune. "Sasuke is finally free. I want him to grow up happy and carefree, that's why I could not take the risk to say what really happened to anybody. "

Tsunade folded her arms over her chest.

"Not only that," she said. "Konoha announced to the world that Sasuke is dead. If someone finds out what really happened, we will create a serious international incident. I cannot afford to protect an international criminal. If the other nations discover, not only they would demand Sasuke's immediate execution but they could also turn against Konoha. "

"So ... what do we do, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked.

"Sasuke will stay with Naruto for some time," explained the Hokage. "His new identity has already been created. Soon, he will begin his training ninja. When he's ready to graduate, I'll build him a new registration number and Uzumaki Sasuke will become a new ninja in the village without any relationship with Uchiha Sasuke. "

Iruka stared at the Hokage and Naruto.

"And who will train Sasuke? Naruto?"

"Yes" the blond shinobi replied.

"Naruto, no offense, but do you know anything about teaching methods?"

"Of course! I even taught Konohamaru the Rasengan! "

"I don't doubt you mastered the jutsus. But you know how you'll teach him the theory? "

Naruto shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

"Well ... it isn't my specialty... but I'll do my best..."

Tsunade sighed.

"The best solution is to make Sasuke an external student of the Academy."

Iruka stared at the Hokage, but Naruto looked confused.

"External student? What is it? "

"I mean Sasuke will learn practical ninjutsu with you, Naruto, and the theory with Iruka" the Hokage explained. "He will study the scrolls and books that we provide and send the written tests for Iruka to approve in Konoha. If he has trouble learning, Iruka could come over for a day to help him. Agree? "

Naruto and Iruka looked at each other and agreed.

"Then it is settled" Tsunade stood up. "It's time to go back to the village."

Shizune and Iruka also stood up and were ready to leave, however, Iruka stopped and stared at the ground with a worried expression.

"What's wrong, sensei?" Naruto asked.

Iruka stared at his student and, then, the Hokage, unsure about what to say.

"I ... I need to tell you something" Iruka said finally. "Sakura and the rest of Konoha 11 are looking for Naruto in secret. Kakashi-san, Might Guy, Sai and Yamato-san too. "

Naruto gasped. Tsunade's eyes were so wide with disbelief and fury that it seemed like them were gonna pop out her sockets.

"They ... WHAT?"

Iruka told them everything he knew about the _"Operation Fox Hunt"._ When he finished, Tsunade had her fists clenched, but Naruto didn't seem surprised, just sad.

"I already knew," the young blond ninja muttered.

"You already knew? How?" Tsunade demanded.

"They almost caught me when we were at Nikko" Naruto explained. "Gaara managed to warn me in time because Shikamaru told Temari."

"Why didn't you tell me anything before, Naruto?" Tsunade growled.

"I ... I don't want to get them in trouble," Naruto said. "Please, Baa-chan ... don't punish them..."

Tsunade took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.

"I'll have to punish them, Naruto" the blonde Hokage said. "They deliberately disobeyed me. I know they did it with good intentions but I cannot let them escape unpunished. "

"But Baa-chan..."

"I won't be overly severe" Tsunade appeased him. "Don't worry, I know how to be fair."

Naruto opened his mouth, but shut it again. When the three ninja left the apartment, the blond sighed deeply.

"Guys... I'm sorry ..."

* * *

The ninja who belonged to the "Operation Fox Hunt" were having one of their secret meetings in an underground shelter beneath the Forest of Death when Kakashi felt many presences approaching them.

Unfortunately, before any of the ninjas could do anything, several ANBU entered the shelter and surrounded them. Tsunade came soon after with such a enraged expression that the younger ninjas shrank in terror.

The Hokage's cries were so high that echoed throughout the forest and Konoha 11 and their senseis moved to the village, escorted by ANBU with a crestfallen face.

Passing by the Hokage, Kakashi looked at her with a suspicious gaze. Tsunade's fury made it clearer, Naruto was not only hidden from the ninja world but Tsunade was covering him up as well. Whatever Naruto was hiding, she knew about it.

The copy ninja frowned as he went to the Hokage's office. His mind was running.

_"Naruto ... did you really__ kill Sasuke?"_

* * *

**There you have it. Naruto finally got "the talk". And the Operation Fox Hunt was busted... which only made Kakashi become even more suspicious.**

**Naruto's a pervert, it's not new. Since enjoyed Konohamaru's Girl on Girl Justu so much, I suppose he likes Yuri (manga about love between girls, opposite to Yaoi).**

**Well... Thanks for reading. Feel free to review and ramble, I love that. I dont' think I would have the energy to continue without your wonderful support. **

**Oh! And please check out Raven's Fall as well. Some readers are getting closer to the truth.**

**See you later!**


	29. Rejection

**Hi! I must warn you that this chapter was very hard for me to write. It envolves a lot of drama that I feel Sasuke and Naruto should go throught before Sasuke grows a bit older and I the chapters with more action can actually start. So please, action fans, be patient with me.**

**Also, keep in mind that Naruto is very young (22 years old) and is basically a kid himself. He means well, but he is bound to make mistakes even though he believes he is doing the right thing. Same goes to Sasuke, he isn't perfect.**

* * *

**Rejection**

拒絶反応 _(Kyozetsu han'nō)_

_October, 15th_

The snow came in October, which was quite natural in the Land of Mountains. When the first flakes of snow came, the villagers rushed take precautions for the future snowfall: plugging holes in roofs, stored firewood for the fireplaces, buying warm clothes and blankets, etc...

Naruto was forced to spend a small fortune in fur coats, boots, gloves and socks for him and Sasuke, but it was worth it to see the joy in the boy's face when he could play in the snow in the street and the park.

With the snow, Naruto got a lot more of odd jobs, which forced him to use his Kage Bunshin several times a day to complete all the missions and still have time to pick up Sasuke from the kindergarten early. No matter how tired he was, Naruto loved the family time he spent with his son.

Sasuke was doing very well in school and all his teachers had only praise for him. He also seemed to have fun with his friends and there wasn't another "incident" with Kenji, although there was still some animosity between both boys.

Naruto had decided to move again. They were in that village for quite some time and he started planning his next move. By December, they would leave for a small archipelago where they would stay for a few weeks before heading to Hankagai, a famous commercial metropolis where (according to rumors) interesting jobs and money on every corner.

When Sasuke was about six-year-old, they would return to the ninja civilization so he could finally start to his education.

Naruto smiled to himself, he seemed to be doing a good job at parenting. Perhaps he was good father after all.

"Boys and girls, next week will be Family Day" Mayura said to her students, who gazed at her with confused expressions.

"Family Day...?" asked one of the girls. "What is it, sensei?"

Mayura smiled.

"It's the day that we show our families how much we love them, Nana-chan" replied the teacher. "Your parents, your siblings, your grandparents... we invite them to come to our school and show them your work. There will also be games and prizes. In the end, we all have a party and each of you will receive a diploma! "

The children looked at each other excitedly.

"Of course we also have to give a gift to your families" continued to sensei. "Therefore each of you will have a corner dedicated to drawings for your family and you're gonna make them a present with anything you like. And, in the end, everyone will tell the class why your family is so special."

The children began to talk to each other, thrilled about the party. While Mayura-sensei handed sheets of paper, paints, brushes, pencils and posters, the classroom door opened suddenly and a brown-haired girl ran to the sensei's lap.

"Mama!" the little girl shrieked.

Sasuke looked up from the brush that he was about to choose. He recognized the girl; Masumi was Mayura-sensei's daughter.

"Masumi! What are you doing here, sweetie?" the sensei said, stroking her daughter's hair affectionately.

"I wanted to see you, Mama!" the girl exclaimed. "Papa brought me. Tomoe came too. "

Mayura looked up with joy as she saw her husband enter the room with her baby girl in his arms. Politely, the children greeted the daughters and husband of their sensei before paying attention to their drawings and crafts for Family Day. However, Sasuke could not take his eyes of the sensei's family.

Mayura, with Masumi still in her arms, kissed her husband and stroked the fine hair of the baby, who was blond like her father's. Masumi was just like the sensei, but she had green eyes like her Papa.

Sasuke felt tightness in his chest, watching that family. It was like they fit each other perfectly. Looking at them, he knew immediately that they were parents and children, the resemblance were obvious ... as if they were parts of each other.

Sasuke looked at one of the drawings he had done of Naruto. They were as different as day and night, as the sun and the moon, as light and darkness... They would've never had the similarities he saw the family's Mayura-sensei. They were too different.

With a dejected look, Sasuke put down his brushes.

* * *

Near four o'clock, as usual, Naruto went to the kindergarten to get Sasuke. This time, Mayura, Sasuke's sensei, handed him a pamphlet advertising the Family Day Festival next Friday.

"Ah! Sounds like fun "Naruto said with a smirk.

"It would be very important for the children that their families come" Mayura said.

Naruto nodded. Everyone knew that he was Sasuke's only family.

"Of course I'll come" the blond answered. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Mayura smiled back. It was hard to imagine that this young boy was a father. Heck, her younger brother was older than Naruto and the words _marriage_ and _children_ made him tremble like green grass. Many young single parents would have had many difficulties in raising a child alone; many would regard it as a great burden. But Naruto seemed to be doing an excellent job. More importantly, it was obvious that Naruto loved his child with all his heart and was willing to do anything to raise him happy and healthy.

"Well... I'll call Sasuke, okay?" the sensei suggested, entering the classroom.

While waiting, Naruto leaned against the corridor wall.

"Oh... Naruto-san?" a female voice asked coming from the restroom.

Naruto recognized Nagashii Ayumi, the mother of one of the younger children in the kindergarten and also Yakumo Baa-chan daughter-in-law, the little old lady who lived on the first floor of Naruto's building.

"Good afternoon, Ayumi-san" Naruto greeted.

"Good afternoon. This weather is terrible" the lady said. "It would be nice to be a ninja to get through all this snow."

Naruto nodded.

"Heh... Heh... even ninjas have trouble journey through this weather."

"My mother-in-law told me how helpful you were when you helped her bring all that firewood to her home. You cannot imagine how grateful I am. "

The blond blushed slightly.

"Bah... it was nothing. Yakumo Baa-chan gave me a ton of onigiri after as thanks. She cooks really well! "

Ayumi nodded.

"I have to admit that I envy her. My husband is always preferring her cooking" the lady replied. "Actually ... I'd like to ask you a huge favor."

"Hm? A favor? "

"It's a job offer, actually" Ayumi continued. "As you know ... my husband, Hiro, is a teacher of physical education in the elementary school."

Naruto nodded. The elementary school was only a few meters from the nursery.

"Unfortunately... my husband fell off the roof yesterday afternoon while he was replacing some tiles."

"Oh! Is he okay? "

"It wasn't anything serious ... but he broke his arm and leg" Ayumi said. "He will not be able to work in the next three weeks."

"I am so sorry"

Ayumi lowered her gray eyes, looking for the best words.

"His students are going to have survival lessons" she said. "Simple Activities such as learning to set up camp, tests of courage, obstacle races... unfortunately, my husband won't be able to participate. The kids were so eager for it..."

Naruto pulled away from the wall and stared into Ayumi eyes.

"Eh...? Is there anything you wanted me to do?" Naruto asked.

"Actually I would like to ask you if you could replace Hiro until he can walk again. Just a few for a few weeks... and the school would pay you very well, obviously. "

"But ... I dunno know anything about survival courses..."

"It's very simple. Show up at school before classes to plan everything" continued Ayumi. "They're just games. If you have doubts, all the other teachers are willing to help. And it would mean so much to the kids ... Please, Naruto-kun? "

Naruto sighed and shook his head.

"Sorry, can't" the blond apologized. "I would have to stay away from home from early morning until evening. Can't leave Sasuke alone. "

"My mother offered to stay with him during that time," Ayumi replied. "She can pick him up and make him dinner at your house if you want. Please... "

Naruto, sadly, shook his head.

"Sorry, Ayumi-san. But I don't want to spend so many hours without seeing my son. "

Ayumi looked down and nodded slowly.

"I understand... thank you anyway" when her son left the classroom, Ayumi put his coat and headed for the door. But not before turning back to Naruto. "If you change your mind, please contact me."

Naruto thought Sasuke was strangely silent during the journey back home. When they arrived and changed their clothes, Naruto asked Sasuke if he wanted to go play before dinner, but the boy shook his head.

"Is there something wrong, Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "Are you feeling sick?"

Sasuke shook his head again and sat on one of the chairs in the living room with a distant look.

"Something happened in the kindergarten?" Naruto insisted. "Was someone angry with you? Did you have a fight? "

"No ..." the boy replied, but without elaborating.

Naruto at stared Sasuke not knowing what to do next. Should he insist? He should leave him alone? It was one of those times when Naruto was aware of how inexperienced he was. He was sure that any other parent, like Mayura-sensei or Ryo's parents, would know immediately what to do and what to say.

Sasuke jumped from his chair and went to the full length mirror that was in the bathroom. Not knowing what to do, Naruto followed him and watched Sasuke examining his reflection in the mirror. With his tiny hands, the boy gently touched his cheeks, ears, hair and looked into his deep onyx eyes.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked again. "What are looking at?"

"How were they like?"

Naruto blinked.

"My parents? My Nii-san? How did they look like? They were like me?"

"Oh... Well... yes... they were a lot like you."

Naruto finally understood. Sasuke was curious about his parents and brother's appearance. That was normal, Naruto thought. Throughout his own childhood, Naruto asked himself the same questions: how his parents looked like, who resembled most ... and what he had inherited

Sasuke too, was curious about his heritage.

Relieved to have noticed why Sasuke was down, Naruto knelt beside the child.

"You know? I have some pictures of them" the blond said, making Sasuke's eyes move away toward his face. "You want to see them?"

"Yes" Sasuke agreed.

Naruto left the bathroom and went to his room with Sasuke right behind him, and took a brown envelope from a drawer of the nightstand.

Sasuke sat on the edge of the bed next to Naruto, while he took several photographs of the envelope. He asked the Hokage to get him more pictures and information about the Sasuke's parents when he decided to tell him about his second life. He did not ask for any pictures or data from Uchiha Sasuke himself... it would be too weird to see how we would look like when we grow up, right?

Carefully, Naruto gave Sasuke a picture of Itachi. It had been taken when the Uchiha prodigy had joined the ANBU with only thirteen years old. In it, Itachi looked very serious and distinct.

"This is your Nii-san," Naruto said, noting the way Sasuke's eyes widened with amazement and wonder.

Sasuke observed his brother's photo attentively. He seemed very serious and strong ... and cool. He should have been a very, very cool ninja. To his great joy, he noticed the many physical similarities they shared. They both had black hair, black eyes and light skin. For the first time in his life, Sasuke looked at the face of a family member. They were brothers! Like Ryo and Hisao. They had the same father and same mother. They were of the same flesh and blood.

"What's his name?" the boy asked.

"Itachi."

"Itachi..." Sasuke repeated, touching the photograph with his fingertips. _His brother, Itachi._

"He was very strong and very smart" Naruto told. "He became a ninja when he was only seven years old."

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Yes... he was amazing."

Picking up the envelope again, Naruto took another picture.

"These are your parents ..." the blond revealed.

Sasuke landed a picture of Itachi gently on the bedspread and grabbed the photo that Naruto gave him. It was the wedding photo of his parents, one of the few which had the two together.

Sasuke felt his lips tremble as he saw his father and mother. His father had dark brown hair, but the hairstyle was like his. He seemed strong and powerful like a warrior or a king. His mother... she was so beautiful. She had a pretty face and her hair and eyes were like Sasuke's. If his father seemed like a very powerful warrior, his mother looked like a queen or a princess.

"Tou-san... Kaa-san..." Sasuke muttered, feeling warm in his chest. Those people were his parents! _His real parents!_ He had lived with them, slept with them and played with them.

When looking at the photographs of his parents and brother, Sasuke finally felt what his classmates felt: belonging.

If they were alive and Sasuke was with them, everything would be... perfect.

Noticing Sasuke's interest, Naruto decided to reveal the limited information he knew.

"Your father's name was Fugaku" said Naruto. "He was ninja police chief."

"The chief of police? That means he was a ninja and a police? "

"I think so... he was responsible for arresting the bad ninjas."

Sasuke's eyes sparkled as he looked at his father's picture.

"My Tou-san was incredible!"

Naruto thought about the coup d'état Fugaku had planned against Konoha, but he could not reveal it to Sasuke yet. The boy deserved to know the good side of the people who had given him life and Naruto didn't have the right to "poison" him against his parents.

"Yes ... he was very strong" said the blond shinobi, simply.

"And my Kaa-san?"

"Her name was Mikoto" Naruto revealed. "She was also a ninja, but decided to stay home to take care of you and your brother after you were born."

"Kaa-san," Sasuke muttered, filled with love for this pretty lady who looked so sweet. His Kaa-san. His mommy.

Naruto told him a little more about his parents and Itachi. After all, there was not much information. When he finished, Sasuke grabbed the photos and took them to his room. When he lay in bed, the boy hugged them against his chest.

* * *

In the following days, his biological parents and Itachi was all Sasuke wanted to talk, think and daydream about. He took the photos to the school and showed them to his classmates, telling them how wonderful his "real" family was.

Instead of playing ninja, he started to play police ninja, trying his best to imitate his Tou-san. In his mind, Itachi and Fugaku were heroes and, since he was his son and brother, Sasuke was destined to be as awesome as them.

Naruto was happy with Sasuke's enthusiasm, but soon realized that things were changing at home. When they came home in from the nursery, Sasuke shut himself in his room playing and dreaming about his family. As soon as he finished dinner, he returned to their imaginary adventures. He liked to pretend he was still living with his parents and Itachi in his big mansion and train with them. When Naruto asked him if he wanted to go out to play together or read him a story, Sasuke refused, lost in his fantasies of a perfect and normal family.

Although he knew he should not, Naruto began to feel left out. Very rarely Sasuke called him "Tou-chan" anymore and barely spoke to him throughout the day. Naruto felt that as Sasuke got closer to his biological parents, he was losing his boy.

But the blond said nothing. He had no right... Sasuke deserved to be familiar with and love his parents. Naruto realized that need better than anyone because he also was an orphan with no roots for years. So he let Sasuke have his fantasies ... after all, they made him happy.

On Thursday evening, before the Family Day Festival, Naruto decided to ask Sasuke if he wanted to play with him or at least spend some time together. Nowadays, it seemed that the little raven ignored Naruto altogether.

Knocking on the door, Naruto entered slowly. Sasuke looked up from the ninjas prison he had created with cubes and stuffed animals.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto greeted with a smile.

"Hi" the boy replied, still staring at him with a somewhat puzzled expression, like he didn't understand the reason why Naruto was there.

"Eto... What are you doing?"

Sasuke shrugged.

"Playing"

"Hm... I see ... And what if we played a game together?" Naruto suggested.

Sasuke shook his head.

"I don't feel like it" the little raven replied.

"Oh... do you want to eat a piece of cake? I bought one this morning. "

"I don't wanna. I want to play ninja police!" Sasuke said, turning his back to Naruto and continuing to play.

Naruto's eyes saddened, but he continued to insist.

"What if I play with you?" he suggested, approaching and picking up one of the dolls. "What do you say? Should I be a thief or a cop?"

To Naruto's surprise, Sasuke tore out the doll from his hand with an angry gaze.

"You can't be a cop! Just me, Nii-san and my Tou-san are! You can't be!"

"I'm...I'm sorry… then you want me to be who?" Naruto asked, trying not to show how upset he was.

"No one. You can't play. I want to play alone" Sasuke answered, sullen and angry for Naruto wanting to meddle with his game. Interfere with his family.

Hurt, Naruto looked down and stood up. The photos of Mikoto, Itachi Fugaku and had been put in right in front of Sasuke, so that he could see them while playing.

Naruto looked at the dresser. With a slight tightening in the heart, Naruto noticed that the photograph he had taken when Sasuke was a baby had fallen through several toys and was being completely disregarded. Turning to leave the room, Naruto stood beside the little dustbin that Sasuke used to toss away his messed up drawings and candy wrappers. However, in the middle of garbage, was Gama-chan.

Slowly, Naruto took his old wallet. Gama-chan was dirty and worn due to many years in which Sasuke played with it. Now he was in the trash like it was worthless.

"Sasuke ... Why is Gama-chan is the garbage?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke turned back and shrugged his shoulders as he saw the old toy.

"It's ugly and smells bad. You can get rid of it. "

"Gama-chan was my wallet" Naruto said. "I gave it to you when you were a baby. I thought you liked him. "

"I'm not a baby anymore" the boy replied with disinterest. "Gama-chan is not cool. Ne! Ne! If I behave well in kindergarten, I have a new doll? A cooler one?"

Naruto tried to keep his lips from trembling. He knew what Sasuke was doing was not out of spite... but he felt was being replaced by Fugaku, a parent a lot more amazing and a better father figure.

Like Gama-chan was being discarded, Naruto was being rejected.

"We'll talk about that later..." Naruto muttered, his eyes downcast. "You need to get ready to bed soon."

"Okay" Sasuke nodded, returning to his game.

Without saying another word, Naruto grabbed Gama-chan and took him to his room.

* * *

When the Family Day started, the kindergarten was filled with parents and relatives of the children. Younger children, between two and three, were limited to play games and sing songs while their parents and siblings cheered enthusiastically.

As for older children, the parents were called to the classrooms to see with their own eyes how their children had improved throughout the school year.

Naruto spoke with several parents and Mayura-sensei. To his great pride, Sasuke had gotten the best qualifications in almost all areas and received many compliments.

"You're so lucky, Naruto-san" commented Ms. Irino, Ryo's mother. "Almost every day I have to talk to Mayura-sensei about Ryo's mischief. I wish he were as polite as Sasuke-chan."

Naruto scratched his neck with his hand and smiled.

"Thank you. Sasuke has always been a well-behaved child. I did almost nothing really. "

Naruto could not help but feel happy. It was the first time he went to a parents meeting, and to hear so many compliments about Sasuke made him feel more bloated than Choji after a meal.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said Mayura. "Our students want to show you something very special that we've been working out all this week."

All family members leaned against the wall of the classroom and Mayura uncovered a wall full of drawings made by the children, all of them illustrating their families and how much they loved them.

In alphabetical order, each child was placed in front of the scoreboard with their drawings in the background and made a little speech about his family and how he or she liked them very much. In the end, each kid gave to the parents, or any other relative, a gift made by hand in the kindergarten: paper flowers, drawings made with rice or pasta, soda cans painted with beautiful designs...

Naruto saw Sasuke in the queue, waiting for his turn, and waved him. When Sasuke returned him the nod, Naruto felt much more relieved. After all, Sasuke still loved him as a father. He had been an idiot for having been jealous of his enthusiasm for his biological parents throughout the week. Sasuke had just been excited to be able to finally meet them... that did not mean that Naruto had been replaced.

When his turn came, Sasuke walked to the center of the room and looked to his classmates, the parents and teachers, trying not to be nervous.

Naruto winked his eye, to give him courage. Taking a deep breath, Sasuke began to speak.

"Hi! I'm Sasuke and I'm 5 years old" the child introduced himself as his classmates had done. "I'll show my family now."

The little raven took the cloth which covered his portion of the drawing wall. The black color could be seen everywhere. Sasuke had drawn himself with Fugaku, Mikoto and Itachi in all the drawings. Sometimes there were only his parents together, others he was with his mother and Itachi, or himself with Itachi and Fugaku hunting ninjas.

There wasn't a single drawing of Naruto.

"These are my parents and my Nii-san," Sasuke said with pride. "My Nii-san was called Itachi and was very smart and strong. My Tou-san was called Fugaku and was the best cop in the world! And my Kaa-san was named Mikoto ... she was the prettiest lady in the universe! "

As Sasuke spoke of his parents and his brother, describing how they had the same hair, eyes and fair skin with growing pride, Naruto felt many eyes riveted on him. He could feel their pity for him, but kept smiling at Sasuke, ignoring his own heartache.

"Sasuke-chan" Mayura-sensei said softly. "Didn't you make a present?"

Mayura was referring to a gift for Naruto, like all other children had done. To her surprise, Sasuke shook his head.

"The gift was for my Kaa-san and Tou-san. I didn't make one because my parents are dead and they couldn't come to see me" the child answered simply.

Naruto's throat tightened painfully. The other parents tried not to look at him, but was impossible.

As for Sasuke, the boy couldn't understand the cruelty of his words.

"Oh… Don't you want to say something to your Tou-chan?" the sensei said. "He came to see you and your drawings."

Naruto struggled to smile, but the following words from Sasuke were like knife on his heart.

"Yeah… but I wanted my **_real _**parents and my Nii-san to have come. I wish they were alive so I could live with them as a real family" Sasuke looked down, with an unhappy expression. "Tou-chan came to see me... but I wish they were here instead of him."

Mayura thanked Sasuke for his speech and everyone clapped as the boy sat with his friends.

Naruto lowered his hair over his eyes, trying to suppress his tears. Sasuke didn't want him... he wanted his real parents, he wanted a family of flesh and blood... he wanted to look at his parents and see parts of himself... Something Naruto could never offer.

"Naruto-san..." Mrs. Irino murmured, with compassion in her eyes."I'm sure Sasuke-chan didn't..."

Naruto forced himself to smile and walked away toward the door.

"It was a good speech," the blond interrupted by opening the sliding door. "I'm just going to the bathroom. I'll be back in a minute. "

_"And Sasuke __won't even notice my absence."_

Barely closed the door behind him, Naruto moved through the halls with his head down, trying to ignore the huge hole he felt in his heart. It was ridiculous! He shouldn't feel this way. Sasuke hadn't said or done anything wrong, he was just being honest. It wasn't wrong to want to live with his birth parents, let alone love them... they _were_ his parents. They had been the ones who had given him life.

Naruto... was only a surrogate.

"Naruto-kun" a voice said. Mayura-sensei had left the classroom and followed him. "Can we talk for a minute in my office?"

"S-Sure... " Naruto nodded.

Mayura's office was small, but it was cozy. The walls were a cheerful yellow and the secretary was filled with potted flowers and photographs of children.

Naruto sat on the chair across the desk, hands clasped.

"Naruto-kun... I'd like to apologize first" Mayura said, making Naruto stare at her in confusion. "Since Kenji and Sasuke had that fight in my classroom that I have felt responsible. I was insensitive to yours and Sasuke's feelings. That's why I would like to say sorry... when I decided to create the Family Day, I should have talked to Sasuke... I should have paid more attention... I had no idea he would do a display solely on his biological parents. "

Naruto nodded slowly.

"It's not your fault, Mayura-sensei" the blond said, with a sad smile. "Sasuke didn't do anything wrong. He wanted his real parents to be here with him... he wanted a _"normal"_ family ... and that is not something bad."

"You are his _real_ parent" Mayura said. "Biology is not the most important thing."

"But it's important" Naruto interrupted. "To look at someone and know that we are of the same family is important. It makes us feel that we belong somewhere... and that we have a history behind our existence. I understand how Sasuke feels. "

Mayura opened his mouth to speak, but Naruto continued.

"Both my parents died the day I was born," the blond said. "Throughout my childhood, my family was a mystery. I didn't know who they were, how they looked like, their names... When I saw other children with their parents, I always felt empty inside. As if something should be there and it wasn't, it was as if a part of me didn't exist. And that hurt me...

I found out the identities of my parents when I was 16. I will never forget the happiness of looking at them and know that we were blood related. Each time I found a resemblance in one of them, I rejoiced with pride."

The sensei nodded slowly.

"That's why I understand Sasuke's enthusiasm. He has the right to be pleased with his parents. They loved him and, if the world were a perfect place, he should be living with them right now and not... not with me. It's with them that he belongs. "

Naruto snorted several times but could not stop the tears running down his cheeks. He should already be used to rejection... he had it all his life. So why did it still hurt so much?

* * *

"Kenji, honey, I loved your drawings."

Kenji looked at the smiling face of his mother and smiled too. He knew she was still upset, and during the night he could still hear her crying because of his father. Therefore, and to make her happy, Kenji devoted all his drawings to his mother made the best speech that he could, as saying that his mom was pretty and nice, the flowers that she planted were the most beautiful in their building and how she was the best mother in the world.

Kenji knew that his father would not return because he had married his girlfriend and had a new son. Kenji never wanted to see him again, nor thought of that stupid baby as his brother. His father had replaced him with that snotty baby and dumped his mother over a skinny lady with big breasts.

Kenji would hate him forever. His father was a bastard.

"Can you wait here a second?" his mom asked Kenji. "I'm going to the bathroom and wash my hands. Then we can go to the party, okay?"

"Okay, Mama."

While his mother went to the bathroom, Kenji sat on one of the seats of the hall and waited.

"Naruto-san ... what Sasuke said in the party does not correspond to reality..."

Kenji looked up and turned sideways. It was Mayura-sensei's voice, and it came from her office. Curious, Kenji got up and hid behind the half open door. Mayura-sensei was talking to Naruto-san.

Kenji's eyes widened when they peered into the cabinet. Naruto-san was crying. He had never seen a grown man cry before, and Naruto-san always seemed so happy and cheerful... why was he so sad?

"What Sasuke is revering is an idealized fantasy" continued Mayura. "From the pictures that you gave him and the stories, he created in his head a perfect ideal family. He is in love with that family, not with reality. It won't be long until he becomes aware that his imaginary family isn't able to give him the comfort and love he needs. He is in love with images... not people. He _loves_ you, Naruto. "

Kenji moved closer to the door. They were talking about Sasuke and the drawings that he had made of his parents who had died.

"I know I'm not a good father," Naruto said, with an unhappy expression.

"What are you talking about? Of course you are! "

"No... there isn't a single day that I don't ask myself if I'm doing the right thing for Sasuke. I never know for sure. And I keep messing up."

"That is common with all parents" Mayura fought back. "You are very young, true, but I can tell you that you have been a great father. You don't need to be perfect."

Naruto smiled, but it was a smile so sad that even Kenji realized it was fake.

"I often feel I'm doing a horrible thing," the blond confessed. "I feel I'm stealing Sasuke of his parents. It's like I'm taking their rightful place when it should be them who should raise him. That was how it should be. "

"Adopt an orphaned child is not a horrible thing. And you're not stealing Sasuke from anyone. "

"I know... but it's just a feeling I have. I was an idiot to think that having me would be enough for Sasuke to be happy. But in the end, I'm not what he wants. I can't be the father he wants. He wants his biological parents... not me. "

"Naruto..."

"If forcing him to think of me as his parent becomes a burden to him" the ninja murmured. "I won't continue to do so... I'm not going to force him to choose between me and his parents."

Kenji turned away from the door quietly and sat back in his chair. It was weird that he could understand the sadness of a grownup. Like his father and done, Sasuke had rejected Naruto-san.

Apparently, the boy thought, kids could dump their parents too.

* * *

Naruto took the decision after leaving the kindergarten. One of his clones went to Mrs. Ayumi home of and accepted the offer to coach the boys, to the lady and her husband's delight, who thanked him endlessly for the great favor.

Naruto did not know what had made him change his mind, but the truth was that to spend almost all afternoon being ignored by Sasuke and having to hear him of how his real family was wonderful all the time, was breaking Naruto heart. Maybe he was a coward, but he missed being around kids that enjoyed his company. To feel loved and appreciated.

Even so, he asked Sasuke, over dinner, if he didn't mind that Naruto had to work longer hours in the coming days.

"Are you okay with that?" the blond asked. "It's just for a few weeks..."

A part of him, a selfish part, wanted Sasuke to ask him to stay or be sad or angry about Naruto having to leave home before Sasuke got up and just go back at night when he was asleep.

But Sasuke shrugged and smiled.

"You can go" the child said.

"You won't be sad? I can't spend so much time with you like I used to."

"It's okay" the boy replied. "Can I go play now?"

Naruto nodded and stared at Sasuke as he returned to his room.

"_You know__, teme? No one has to power to hurt me like you do…"_

* * *

Sasuke was slightly surprised when Yakumo Baa-chan, the little old lady who lived downstairs, woke him up on Monday morning.

"Rise and shine, Sasuke-chan!" the old lady exclaimed, shaking him.

"Hmm... Yakumo Baa-chan?" Sasuke asked. "Why are you here?"

"Your father didn't tell you? I'm going to take to the kindergarten today. Now up! We have to leave early because of the snow. "

It was then that Sasuke remembered what his Tou-chan had said. He'd have to go to work earlier for a few days and Baa-chan would be taking care of him while he was out.

Sasuke quickly got dressed and took breakfast that Yakumo had prepared. It wasn't as good as Naruto's cooking, and she had made him drink a horrible tea that tasted like toad pee.

Yakumo took him to the kindergarten and returned to pick him up at 4 pm. She stayed with him at home all afternoon (although she had fallen asleep on the sofa three times) and made him dinner. To Sasuke's horror, she forced him to drink other nasty tea again.

"It's filled of proteins and helps you grow strong and healthy" the old lady said, not wanting to argue.

After dinner, Sasuke played to his room as usual, while Yakumo knit a sweater in the living room. Near eleven o'clock, the old lady made him put his pajamas, wash up and go to sleep.

The following days went by the same way. Sasuke spent almost all day in kindergarten and stayed home the rest of the afternoon with Yakumo.

It was odd not to see or hear Naruto. At first, he was too happy with his games about his Nii-san and Tou-san to worry about him, but he was starting to get tired of playing always the same thing.

One day, Sasuke was in his room building up a fort under the bed when he heard shouting outside. Looking out the window, Sasuke saw many kids and parents running to the street. The snowfall had stopped and the road was perfect for a snowball war.

Enthusiastic, Sasuke ran to Naruto's room.

"Tou-chan! Let's play outside!"

But Naruto's room was empty.

"Tou-chan?"

Sasuke remembered… Naruto was working very late now. Now that he thought about it, they haven't played together for a long, long time.

"What's wrong?" Yakumo asked, leaving the warm living room.

"Baa-chan... I can go play outside?" the child asked.

"Sorry, Sasuke-chan, but my back hurts a lot. I can't take you" the old lady replied.

"But the other boys are playing outside! I can go alone!"

"Sorry, but you can't. It's too dangerous to be alone in the street. "

Sasuke looked filled with envy, at the children were enjoying themselves on the street.

"And when Tou-chan gets home?" Sasuke asked. "Can I go with him then?"

Yakumo shook her head.

"Naruto only comes at night, Sasuke-chan. He won't be able to play with you. "

Disappointed, Sasuke returned to his room, trying to ignore the laughter and shouts of joy that from the other kids.

* * *

In kindergarten, Sasuke could finally play in the snow on the recess, although he wasn't very happy to hear that all his friends had gone to play in the park the day before and ridden the sled down the hills. Now that Naruto was never home, Sasuke could never come to play in the street.

"And what do we play now?" Junpei asked.

"Abominable Snowman!" Akito suggested.

"We played that yesterday!" Daichi muttered.

"Snowball fights" Ryo said.

"That sucks. Let's make a giant snowman!" Kenji said.

"No! Let's play ninjas cops!" Sasuke said. "The snowballs will be the shuriken and kunai!"

"You want to play that crap again?" Kenji muttered.

Sasuke looked at him with a scowl.

"It's not crap! It's really cool! My Tou-san was a real police hero!"

Remembering Naruto-san crying at Mayura-sensei's office, Kenji felt rage build up inside him. Naruto-san was all that Kenji wanted his father to be, and Sasuke had dumped him and made him sad. He didn't deserve him.

"Is that all you talk about? All you do is talk about your Tou-san and Nii-san! You're boring!"

Sasuke flushed with anger.

"Shut up! I'm not boring! You're just jealous!" the raven shot back, eager to hurt Kenji as he had hurt him. "You're jealous because your father didn't come to Family Day! He doesn't like you! "

"I KNOW! MY FATHER DOESN'T LOVE ME!" Kenji roared, letting out all the anger and sadness that he had hid within his chest since his father had left him.

Surprised at the anger and the tears falling down Kenji's face, Sasuke became silent.

"MY FATHER DOESN'T LOVE ME OR MY MOM! HE'S GOT A NEW FAMILY AND LEFT US!"

Worried by the screams, Mayura ran to the recess.

"What is happening here?" the sensei said. "Kenji... what happened?"

"My father is an asshole..." Kenji sighed, not minding to swear. "He loves his new girlfriend and his son more... and got rid of us. He just likes his new son now... not me."

"Kenji... let's talk inside ..." muttered Mayura, but Kenji stared back at Sasuke with a gaze filled with fury.

"And you're an asshole too!"

"Kenji!" Mayura said, but the boy continued.

"Sasuke is mean! He dumped Naruto-san!"

Sasuke's dark eyes widened.

"What?" the raven boy shot back. "That's a lie!"

"It's true! You said you wanted your real parents instead of Naruto-san. Everyone heard it!"

Sasuke gaped.

"I ... didn't say that..."

"Yes you did..." Daichi agreed, causing Sasuke to turn to him.

"Yes, you said that" said Junpei. "I heard too."

"You didn't even give a gift to Naruto-san" Kenji continued. "He was the only father who had nothing. And you didn't make any drawings of him either!"

Sasuke looked at his friends faces for support, but they all agreed with Kenji.

"I just ... I didn't make the gift because..." Sasuke stuttered.

"You don't like him anymore. You got rid of him and picked your other Tou-san" Kenji spat. "You're mean and stupid and you hurt Naruto-san!"

"I didn't hurt Tou-chan!"

"Yes you did! You made him cry, I saw him. He was crying with Mayura-sensei... because you don't want him to be your Dad anymore."

Mayura decided to intervene and brought Kenji into the classroom, with intent to call his mother.

Sasuke remained quiet and silent in the snow, all of Kenji's words sounding in his head.

Slowly, he went into the classroom and approached the Family Day scoreboard which was still exposed, stopping beside his drawings. He should have drawn almost twenty drawings that week... But neither was about Naruto. Not a single one.

With trembling lips, Sasuke realized that he had completely forgotten about his Tou-chan.

Worse... he had ... he had told him to go away...

* * *

_"What if I play with you?" Naruto suggested, approaching and picking up one of the dolls. "What do you say? Should I be a thief or a cop?"_

_"You can't be a cop! Just me, Nii-san and my Tou-san are! You can't be!"_

_"I'm...I'm sorry… then you want me to be who?" Naruto asked._

_"No one. You can't play. I want to play alone."_

* * *

Sasuke felt his eyes burning. Now that he was next to the drawings, he recalled what he had said at the party.

* * *

_"I wanted my __**real**__ parents and my Nii-san to have come. I wish they were alive so I could live with them like a real family."_

* * *

The black haired boy fell to his knees and started crying.

* * *

"_Tou-chan came to see me... but I wish they were here instead of him."_

* * *

**Let's face it, children can be very cruel, even without meaning to. **

**I guess one thing we can all agree about Sasuke is his "tunnel vision" on things. Once he obsesses over something, that's all he sees in front of him.**

**As for the poll: How old should Sasuke be when he returns to Konoha? The winner was _10 years old with 47%. _****You've asked, I've got it**.

**I've made another poll, regarding another spin-off. Feel free to give me your opinion on that too.**

**See ya later!**


	30. Tears in the Snow

**Hey there! I felt inspired so I decided to make another chapter. I was baffled by all the reviews I got from last chapter! I never got so many at the same time! You have no idea how happy I was. I read them all with joy!**

**Anyway... I guess this chapter means the end of the "Truth Arc". Another one is begining, hehehe.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Tears in the Snow**

雪の中で涙 _(Yuki no naka de namida)_

Mayura spent some time with Kenji, until one of the employees of the kindergarten took him home. The sensei knew the kid was about to explode like a volcano with all that sadness and resentment trapped inside him. A part of her thought it would do well to Kenji to vent, scream and cry with his mother. It would help the two to face what happened rather than pretend that everything was fine.

When the sensei came to her classroom, she noticed the other boy she need to comfort. Sasuke was kneeling in front of the drawings he had made, weeping.

Taking a deep breath, Mayura approached the child.

"Sasuke?"

The boy sniffed and looked at the sensei with red eyes and glistening with tears.

"Why don't we go to my office, sweetie?" Mayura suggested.

Sasuke snorted again but got up, following his sensei to her office.

* * *

_"You don't like him anymore. You got rid of him and picked your other Tou-san" Kenji spat. "You're mean and stupid and you hurt Naruto-san!"_

_"I didn't hurt Tou-chan!"_

_"Yes you did! You made him cry, I saw him. He was crying with Mayura-sensei... because you don't want him to be your Dad anymore."_

_

* * *

_

That was not true! It couldn't be true. Tou-chan had smiled, didn't he? And he hadn't said anything. If his father had been sad, he would have said it and asked Sasuke to make him a drawing and a gift. But he hadn't said anything! That meant he wasn't or sad or angry!

Sasuke figured it out, Kenji was lying. Now, Mayura-sensei would tell him that everything was a lie and that she would punish Kenji so he'd learn not to say stupid and mean things.

When they reached the office, Mayura told him to sit in the chair opposite the desk and gave him a tissue to blow his nose and wipe the tears from his eyes.

"Are you feeling better?" the sensei asked.

"Yeah..." the boy nodded. It was now! She would smile and tell him that all Kenji had said was a lie.

Sasuke waited for the sensei's smile, but her face was sad. Swallowing hard, Sasuke could not wait any longer.

"Sensei? You'll punish Kenji, right? "

"Huh?"

"He was lying, right? He only said that because he's mean, right? "

Mayura lowered her eyes, what Sasuke interpreted as a bad sign.

"Sasuke... what Kenji said...is more or less true..."

The boy's onyx eyes widened.

"What?"

Mayura stared at her student in the eyes, trying to choose the best words.

"On the day of the party...your Tou-chan was ... a little sad."

"Sad? But ... I didn't call him names! I wasn't bad! "

"It wasn't that" Mayura continued. "He ... he thought you were going to give him a present and speak about him in your speech. So… he was a little disappointed when you didn't. "

Sasuke looked at his sensei without fully comprehending.

"But he... he didn't say anything! He even laughed!"

"He didn't want you to know that he was sad."

Sasuke grabbed his pants tightly, feeling a weight in his chest. Feelings that he didn't know or understand: guilt, sorrow, shame... came in painful waves.

"He was... crying?" the boy asked, feeling like a stone was in his throat. "Did I make Tou-chan cry?"

"Sasuke..."

Mayura didn't deny it and that was enough for Sasuke. He finally saw the horrible thing he had done.

"I made him cry..." the boy whispered, with tears in his eyes again."I made Tou-chan sad."

"Sasuke... he understands why you did the drawings of your other parents. He said it was okay."

"But I made him cry" Sasuke retorted, knowing there was nothing worse he could have done. "He's sad because of me. And now… he's going to hate me... "

"No! Sasuke, never! "Mayura said."Naruto-kun loves you! He's always telling me how proud he is of you. "

"I didn't ... I didn't wanna make him sad" the boy sobbed. "I swear... it wasn't on purpose. I didn't dump him for my other parents. I didn't! "

"I know that," the sensei said softly. "And he knows it too. Don't worry ... you didn't do anything wrong. It's okay to love your parents and your Nii-san. Your Tou-chan is not mad at you. Naruto-kun just wished you could love him too. "

"And I do!" Sasuke exclaimed vehemently. "I love my Papa! I won't trade him for anyone! I don't want ... I don't want him to go away... "

Mayura smiled and laid a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"If you say that to him, I'm sure he'll be very happy."

* * *

When Yakumo came to pick him up, Sasuke asked her to take him to Naruto. Sasuke had to speak with him right away; he had to say he was sorry...

"Baa-chan! I have to go to Tou-chan!" Sasuke said, pulling her kimono. "It's important!"

"I can't take you to him, Sasuke-chan" the old lady replied. "He is very busy."

"But it's really, really important" the raven insisted.

"Sorry, Sasuke-chan. But he cannot talk to you now, he is teaching other children. "

Sasuke blinked.

"Other children...?"

"Yes. Don't you remember? He is teaching the elementary school kids. We can't interrupt the class. Don't be selfish, please. "

Sasuke hadn't paid attention when Naruto told him he was going to get another job. He thought he would continue to help people bring heavy objects or fixing homes like before... He had no idea he was going to teach elementary school children.

Sasuke continued to insist, but Yakumo was unwavering and would not let him go to Naruto. The boy was forced to go home and shut himself in him room, sulking and cranky. At dinner time, he didn't address a word to Yakumo.

Despite his tantrum, Sasuke failed to convince the old lady to let him go. Not knowing what else to do, the boy left the bedroom and sat in the lobby, waiting for Naruto to come home. Unfortunately, he eventually fell asleep and when he awoke, it was morning and he was lying on his bed.

With a jump, Sasuke got out of bed and ran to Naruto's room.

"Tou-chan!" the boy shouted, opening the door with a bang. However, the room was empty o and the bed was already made.

It was too late, Naruto had already left.

"Oh! You're up, Sasuke-chan? Just in time. Good morning! "Yakumo said, appearing behind him.

Sasuke turned to the old lady who appeared in the hallway with her apron.

"Where's Papa?" the boy asked.

"He just left" Yakumo said, returning to the kitchen to make breakfast. "Naruto-san has to be at school early to get everything ready for the kids. From what I hear, the kids are having a great time with him. "

Sasuke stared at the old lady in the eyes.

"A great time?"

"Oh, yes. He's very good with children and they love him. "

Sasuke wasn't prepared for the sting of jealousy that hit him. Naruto was playing with other kids and not him. It wasn't fair!

* * *

As the days went by, Sasuke felt increasingly unhappy. It was as if his Daddy had disappeared. He never saw him; never talked to him, never played together... He missed him. He missed him so much. He wanted him to come home and apologize for not having made him any gifts in Family Day.

"Hey! Sasuke! Come play with us!" Ryo said while they were all on the playground. "We're gonna play tag!"

Sasuke looked at his friends, but shook his head.

"I don't feel like it..." he said, coming back into the classroom and sitting alone in the chair by the window.

Outside the snow fell slowly, as if made of cotton. It was a very pretty sight, but Sasuke felt too sad.

Suddenly he heard screams from the other side of the window. His black eyes widened as he saw Naruto go through the street in front of the nursery. Sasuke smiled and rose from his chair. He had come to get pick him earlier, that was it!

He hadn't seen Daddy for an eternity! He wanted to go to him and jump into his arms like he used to, then they could go play together.

However, Naruto was not alone. A group of children followed him down the street, talking and laughing with him. One of the boys jumped to his back and Naruto laughed loud, carrying him.

Instead of heading to the nursery's gate, Naruto went on ahead, followed by the laughing children.

"No..." Sasuke muttered. "Wait!"

The little raven ran out of the room and past the playground to get to the closed gates. His pale little hands gripped the icy metal bars and pulled them with all his strength, trying to open the gate.

"Tou-chan!" Sasuke shouted, to the white and foggy street. "Tou-chan, come here!"

But the sound of snow and wind were too strong, as the sound of the older kids' voices who accompanied Naruto. Without turning, the blond turned a corner and disappeared into the elementary school.

Sasuke continued pushing the metal bars, but the cold was burning his fingers. He continued yelling and calling for his father, but in vain. With tears running down his face, Sasuke fell on his bottom in the snow and cried.

He had ruined everything. Naruto no longer wanted him, so he had got a lot of other kids to take his place. It would not be long before he got rid of Sasuke and got a new son. _A better son._

_"And it's my fault" _the child thought miserably. _"I was mean and now he doesn't like me anymore. He's going to leave me... like Kenji's father did. "_

_

* * *

_

Hours later, Sasuke had a plan. The first thing he did was ask for help from Mayura-sensei. He wanted to make a gift to Tou-chan. It could already be behind schedule, but he wanted to give one to him.

"That is a good idea, Sasuke" Mayura agreed. "And you know what do you're gonna do?"

"I... still don't know..."

Mayura grabbed the boy's hand and led him to the cabinet where they kept the materials for crafts.

"Is there anything that your Tou-chan likes very much?" the teacher asked.

"He likes the color orange..."

"Well ... that's something."

"He also likes magazines with pretty girls."

Mayura blushed and smiled with some discomfort.

"I don't think you can offer that, Sasuke ..."

"He likes Ramen" Sasuke continued. "Tou-chan says that his blood, body and soul are made of Ramen."

A drop of sweat trickled down Mayura's forehead.

"We'll see what we can find."

* * *

Sasuke followed the rest of his plan to the letter. In kindergarten, he obeyed all that Mayura-sensei had told him to do. Did all the homework and didn't leave for recess until his numbers and Kanji were perfect.

At lunch and dinner, he washed his hands, ate all the food that was put on his plate without picking and asked permission to leave the table when he finished. When he was home with Yakumo, he did everything he was told, cleaned his room, drank the tea without any grumbling or making faces and was always polite. At night, he washed himself, put on his pajamas and went to bed early.

If he'd continue to behave well all day... if he was a perfect child, Sasuke concluded, his Tou-chan wouldn't choose any of the other kids and would come back home.

So Sasuke gave his best in class every day and his grades raised a lot. However, after a week, nothing had changed. Naruto didn't come home and Sasuke began to feel increasingly discouraged.

One night, he was lying in bed, wide awake, watching the snow falling through the window outside. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fall asleep. So he turned on the light and sat on his bed.

His parents and his brother's photos were in the bedside table, so he picked them up. He wondered if his parents would let him sleep with them when he had bad dreams back when he was a kid for the first time, or maybe his Nii-san. He tried to imagine them there with him, telling him bedtime stories or kissing him goodnight. The mental picture came, but didn't make him feel nice and warm.

They were his parents, but he didn't really know them. Now that he thought about it, if they suddenly came back through magic and asked him to come live with them again… he would be scared. They weren't… Papa. He wanted Papa to live with him, tell him stories and let him sleep with him when Sasuke was scared of the dark.

Sasuke looked at his dresser and noticed that the picture of him and his Daddy wasn't there. In panic, the boy got out of the bed and looked at the dresser, looking for his photo. He found it, lying downside, near the wall.

Grabbing the framed photo, the little boy took it to his bed and stared at it intensely.

"Papa…" the child whispered softly.

* * *

The next day, Sasuke was still too depressed to play with his friends. He sat in the swings, watching his own feet moving through the ground.

"They are doing races. And fights. And games!" one of the younger children squealed across the playground, causing Sasuke to turn to the left.

"Really? That is so cool, Ren!" another child cried. "Your Papa let you go see Naruto-san?"

Sasuke lifted his head.

"He let me see the games the big kids do" Ren continued, who Sasuke recognized as Yakumo's grandson. "Naruto-san is so cool! All kids like him! He knows many fun games and everything. "

Not able to contain himself, Sasuke moved in the younger boys' direction.

"Look..." the raven said, calling their attention.

"What do you want?" one of the kids asked.

"You were talking about Naruto..."

"So?"

"And I wanna know what he does with the kids in elementary school."

"Ah! You're his kid, aren't you?" Ren said. "Kesuke... or Tsuke… your name is weird."

Sasuke pouted. _Stupid brat!_

"Sasuke!" corrected. "But tell me... what is Tou-chan playing with the kids?"

"They make racing games... and climb trees... and have fun… they even train with swords and everything!" Ren said with enthusiasm.

Sasuke felt his heart ache. Before, Daddy did all that with him... and now he just played with the other boys. Nothing he did worked, no matter how hard he tried to be perfect it was never enough. He no longer knew what to do to bring his Tou-chan back.

_"I lost him__..."_

"Wow! Naruto-san does it all with them?" another boy asked.

"Yes! He is the coolest of all the grownups! They even did a test of courage on the bridge. "

Sasuke blinked.

"Test of Courage?"

"Huh huh!" Ren continued. "I saw it yesterday! They have to cross that bridge behind the school and get to the temple island" Ren said, referring to a small temple which was built in middle of the river behind the school. "Kids have to go over the bridge, go inside the temple and pick up a frog!"

"A frog...?" Sasuke asked, confused.

"Baka! It's not a real frog! "Ren said with a sly smile."It's a doll! A green cloth frog... looks like a wallet. "

The raven's eyes widened as he realized that was the toad they were talking about. The same toad he had asked his dad to throw away.

_"Gama-chan!"_

"Wow! Did anyone catch the frog? "

"Nuh-huh! They were all scared of the bridge" Ren laughed. "I wanted to go but my Dad didn't let me. But I really, really wanted to go. "

"And what do you win if you pass the Test of Courage?" another boy asked.

"I dunno know... I think they get the froggie" Ren continued. "Naruto-san said that the frog was very important."

Sasuke was stunned. Tou-chan was gonna award Gama-chan? But Gama-chan was his toy! He couldn't give it to another boy! Well... he had told him that he could it throw away... but the idea of another boy having it was unbearable. Gama-chan was his first baby toy... it had belonged to his Dad... no one else could have him, because... because...

Because that would feel like Naruto was giving his toy to another son.

With a flash, Sasuke finally realized what he had to do. Naruto was trying to choose a better son with that test. The boy who got Gama-chan would become his new son. And Sasuke... he would be abandoned and replaced.

With clenched fists, Sasuke walked away from the younger kids. He wasn't going to be replaced. He would not let anyone steal his Tou-chan.

* * *

The only time to escape was when they all came out of the classroom and went to the cafeteria. They had to leave through a door and into the cafeteria which was in another building. And at lunchtime, Sasuke knew that the gates were open because the misters with the packages of milk entered the nursery at that time. Mayura-sensei forbade them to leave the line as they went to the cafeteria. But Sasuke had a plan to distract her. When all the children were heading for the cafeteria, Sasuke threw a snowball at one of the boys who were in the front row. The boy angrily turned back and asked who had done it. When another kid laughed at him, he got a snowball in the face in response.

Within seconds, a war snowballs broke out and all the kids got out of line and started running all around while Mayura was trying in vain to stop them.

Taking advantage of the disorder, nobody noticed that Sasuke slipped away to the gates and left the nursery.

Crossing the deep snow with some trouble, the boy ran as fast as he could, feeling the cold wind in his face and the snowflakes wet his hair and cheeks. When he reached the building that served as an elementary school, he noticed that was deserted. Students should be at lunch too.

Being careful not to be seen, Sasuke ran behind the school where he found the small river. Not far away, he saw the bridge and the temple.

Approaching slowly, Sasuke looked with some unease at the wooden bridge that swayed from one side to another with the wind. Swallowing hard, the boy placed one foot over the bridge and clung tightly to the ropes when a gust of wind and snow almost made him fall. The wooden bridge was groaning dangerously and the waters of the river were filled with chunks of ice floating. But Sasuke clung more tightly to the ropes and proceeded with caution.

He had to do it. He couldn't fail! If he got Gama-chan, that none of the other kids were able to do, his Daddy would absolutely pick him.

_"I can't __quit... I need to do this. If I do… he'll love me again!"_

The young raven continued to walk, almost falling twice, but rising with a determined look and following along his path. He was closer... just a few meters... he could see the temple island...

With a jump, the boy jumped into the temple and landed in a pile of snow that froze him to the bone and skinned his palms. Rising, Sasuke looked ahead and smiled. He could see inside the temple and in the center, leaning against an old statue of Buddha, was Gama-chan.

With a cry of joy, the child ran into the temple and grabbed the cold and wet wallet, pulling it against his chest.

"I did it!" Sasuke said, staring at the frog. "I saved you, Gama-chan!"

Sasuke could barely feel his fingers, which were purple with cold. But he put Gama-chan under one arm and returned to the bridge. All he had to do was go back.

* * *

Inside one of the classrooms, a group of students between the ages of 8 and 9 were bored to death. They had finished eating their lunch, but as the snow storm had worsened and the temperature dropped even lower, they were absolutely forbidden to leave the school. Sitting the chairs next to their desks, the children were distracted talking and throwing spit paper at each other while their teacher, a powerful and stern man named Goro, was asleep on his desk.

One of the paper balls hit the hair of one of the girls, who shrieked and turned to the boy behind her with a glare.

"Stop it, Kenichi!" the girl exclaimed.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Kenichi replied innocently, hiding the straw under the desk.

"Don't mock me! I know it was you! "

"Do you have proof? So how can you tell it was me, Hazuki?" Kenichi retorted with a sly smile that made Hazuki turn red with rage.

"You retarded idiot!"

Kenichi was about answer, but a movement outside the window caught his attention.

"Don't ignore me, asshole!" Hazuki squealed when Kenichi looked out the window.

"There's someone on the bridge..."

"What?"

Kenichi got up and ran to the window.

"There's someone on the bridge! I see someone there!" the boy cried.

Hazuki and other kids also got up and ran to the windows to see. To their astonishment, someone was crossing the bridge with that storm.

"Who?"

"I can't see... is it a student?"

"Doesn't it look very little?"

"It's a little kid! There's a little boy crossing the bridge! "

Exasperated with the screams of his students, Goro rose from his chair and came to them with the intention of pulling them by the ears.

"What is all the fuss?" the sensei said sternly. "Didn't I say I wanted silence?"

"Sensei! There's a boy outside! "

"Huh?"

"It's a boy on the bridge!"

Goro made room among his students and peered through the fogged window. To his amazement and horror, his students were right. There really was a little kid on the bridge!

"Holy shit!" Goro shouted, shot out of the classroom and ran outside.

Sasuke was having trouble in crossing the bridge with one hand. The wind had grown stronger and he could not see anything through the snow. His hands seemed to have frozen... he could not move his fingers. And he had started coughing a lot.

"Oy!" a voice shouted, making Sasuke lift his eyes. "What the hell are you doing there?"

A large man approached the bridge and began advancing towards Sasuke.

"Stay where you are! Do not move! I take you out of there!" the man cried, crossing the bridge.

Sasuke obeyed and the big man grabbed him roughly by the underarms, taking him off the bridge.

"What the fuck were you doing there, brat?" the man growled, rushing to bring Sasuke back into the school.

Sasuke was too cold and tired to respond to. When Goro went inside the school, hundreds of students watched the sensei take the small boy to the corridors, whispering among themselves.

Nobody knew who the boy was... but he had managed to cross the bridge. And, to the older children bewilderment, he had also been able to bring the frog from the temple.

* * *

Naruto felt refreshed after eating a delicious Ramen by the heater in the staff room. He had never entered a room like those at the Academy, and never thought to (except to pull a prank to Iruka-sensei).

The last two weeks had been exhausting but very rewarding. He had a lot of fun with the kids and he enjoyed the appreciative looks they gave him as if he was the coolest adult on Earth. The other teachers were also very friendly and he got to go to bars together for dinner for the first time.

It was as if suddenly he had finally entered the young adult life, and was enjoying himself immensely.

Obviously, he missed Sasuke, despite seeing him every day. Whenever he came home, he went to see him sleep and snuggle his sheets. In the morning, he always gave him a light kiss on the forehead and stroke his hair gently to avoid waking him up, before going to work.

According to Yakumo, Sasuke was doing extraordinarily in school. His behavior had improved a lot in recent days. Although he felt proud, Naruto couldn't avoid feeling increasingly dispensable in Sasuke's life. The little raven seemed to no longer need him...

A bunch of children in the halls drew Naruto's attention. The kids seemed anxious and excited... as if something had happened.

"Hey! What's wrong?" Naruto asked.

The students turned to him.

"Naruto-sensei!"

"Shouldn't you be in the classroom?" the blond asked.

"Haven't you heard? A little boy crossed the bridge to the temple during the lunch hour!"

"What?" Naruto exclaimed. "Who was it? I told you that today was too cold for the Test! "

"It wasn't one of us! It was a little kid!" one of the boys replied.

"He doesn't even go to our school," another girl continued. "They said it was a nursery school kid."

An alarm sounded in Naruto's head.

"A kindergarten kid?"

"He crossed the bridge alone and managed to get your frog, sensei. Goro-sensei was there to get him and took him to the infirmary ... it seems that the kid froze... "

Without wanting to wait any longer, Naruto moved through the hallways of the school and opened the door to the infirmary with a bang. Goro turned to him, as the school nurse, and, to Naruto's dismay... Sasuke.

The boy was sitting on a bed, wrapped in a thick blanket. He was shaking like green leaves and his lips were purple. Naruto felt tightness in his chest and stomach.

"Yo, Uzumaki!" Goro said, grumpy. "I found this little pipsqueak out there on the bridge. But what are these kids thinking nowadays? Worse... who are his stupid and irresponsible parents?"

Naruto remained static at the door, as if he could not believe his eyes.

"It's me..." Naruto said, finally.

"Huh?" Goro grunted.

"His father is me."

Goro opened his mouth to mumble, but decided to shut up when he saw the red in Naruto's eyes. The guy was livid with rage.

"Well ... then I leave you two alone" the sensei said, leaving the infirmary.

The nurse walked over to Naruto and told him Sasuke would be okay, before also leaving. Naruto moved in Sasuke's direction, who was still trembling underneath the blanket.

When the boy had the audacity to smile, Naruto exploded.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" the blond growled, blind with rage and worry. "ARE YOU COMPLETELY MAD, SASUKE? YOU COULD HAVE FROZEN TO DEATH! YOU COULD HAVE FALLEN TO THE RIVER! YOU COULD HAVE DROWNED! AND NO ONE WOULD EVER FIND YOU!"

Sasuke's smile faded and his face took an expression of fright.

"You ran away from kindergarten? HAVE YOU ANY IDEA OF HOW DANGEROUS THAT WAS? STUPID! STUPID BOY! YOU COULD HAVE DIED! I'M SO FURIOUS WITH YOU!"

The fear in Sasuke's face was replaced by an immense grief.

It was over... everything was over... he had failed. Naruto hated him.

_Now he had lost him forever__..._

Naruto continued to scream but stopped when Sasuke opened his mouth and started screaming too. Naruto never saw Sasuke screaming that way before... it was an anguish cry of despair. His eyes filled with tears and snot ran freely in his face. Sasuke never screamed when he cried, even his sobs were quiet and controlled. This cry was so full of agony that startled Naruto more than Sasuke's purple face.

Not knowing what to do, Naruto remained quiet, watching Sasuke as he cried. But the cries were becoming louder and more distressed.

_"What's going on ...?" _Naruto asked himself, not knowing what to do. Something was very wrong with Sasuke, but he wasn't able to understand the origin of suffering.

As the howling finally became weaker, Naruto decided to approach him slowly and knelt in front of the upset child. Sasuke still had his eyes closed and filled with tears. His sobs became hoarse groans.

Deciding to do something, Naruto grabbed the boy and took him in his arms. Then he left the infirmary.

The corridors were crowded with onlookers who had come to see the reason for the screams. Naruto turned to one of the teachers and asked him to warn everyone he would spend the rest of the day at home. The sensei nodded and Naruto grabbed his coat and left the school.

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Naruto used Ninjutsu to get home faster, but Sasuke kept crying so much that didn't even notice. When they arrived and entered the apartment, Naruto took Sasuke to his bedroom and sat on the bed. The boy put his hands to his face and covered it, still crying.

Feeling worried and horrible, Naruto tried to say something but did not know what to speak.

_"Priorities"_ Naruto thought. _"It's better to dry him before he catches pneumonia. That's it... dry him and warm him up first. "_

Following his plan, Naruto took the gray blanket around Sasuke and finally saw Gama-chan, dirty and wet, in the blue and injured hands the boy. Deciding to think about it later, Naruto took out his wallet from the child's hands gently and began to undress his wet clothes. When Sasuke was naked, he grabbed the thickest blanket that he found and wrapped the boy in it, rubbing hard to warm him up.

Sasuke continued to weep and moan, but didn't scream. He must have been exhausted.

When he saw that the child was dry, Naruto grabbed his pajamas and a coat and dressed him. He then picked the blanket again, put it around the boy and placed him on his lap, next to his chest for warmth.

They were both there for a while in silence, except for Sasuke's sniffles and an occasional cough. The boy was very quiet and the tears kept running down his red and swollen eyes.

Seeing him like this broke Naruto's heart.

"Why did you do this, Sasuke?" Naruto asked soothingly. "I don't understand why you did something so dangerous."

Sasuke bit his lower lip, but did not answer. Naruto began to rock back and forward, cradling him.

"You could have died... I don't understand why you did this? Tell me why. I promise I won't yell. Just tell me."

For several minutes, Sasuke said nothing. Naruto looked down, feeling increasingly powerless.

"I ..." a small hoarse voice murmured.

Naruto's eyes widened and he stared at Sasuke, though he could only see his spiky black hair and his tearful eyes.

"I ... I just wanted you to like me again" the raven boy said, finally.

Naruto blinked, unsure of whether he heard him right.

"Like you again?" the confused blond repeated.

Sasuke looked down and a new tear rolled down his face.

"You don't like me anymore" the child said.

The sentence was said with such conviction that Naruto almost choked.

"_What_? What are you talking about, Sasuke?"

"You went away..." Sasuke continued. "Now you never come home. You just like the kids in the elementary school. You stay with them all the time."

"What? Sasuke... I go to the school to work. I told you. You said you didn't mind."

"But you're never at home. You never come to pick me up in the nursery. I don't even see you…"

Naruto took a deep breath, trying to understand the situation.

"Sasuke ... I told you I was working. And it's only for a few more days, and then everything returns to the way it was before. "

Sasuke shook his head.

"No it won't. You're gonna stay with the big kids and you're going to leave me... and it's my fault…" the boy began to shed tears. "It's because I didn't draw you or made you a gift on Family Day... I made you cry... and now you don't like me anymore..."

Naruto was taken aback.

"How do you...?"

"Kenji saw you cry with Mayura-sensei... because I just talked about my Tou-san and Nii-san in the party. You thought that I dumped you and that was why you left for the elementary school" Sasuke continued, full of anguish and regret. "I didn't want you to go away... I didn't…"

Understanding better what had happened, Naruto hugged Sasuke tighter. How had he not seen this? How didn't he realize that Sasuke was suffering? That he was neglecting him…

_What kind of father was he?_

"Sasuke, I didn't leave you" Naruto said. "I will never leave you. I swear. "

"But I hurt you!" the boy whispered. "I made you sad..."

"Don't worry about it. I'm tough!"

"I didn't want you to pick a new son."

"_Huh?_ But what the heck are you talking about? I'm not picking anyone!"

"You were gonna give Gama-chan to a new son..." the boy continued. "You were gonna pick a better son and get rid of me."

Naruto was stunned. But what kind of crazy ideas were at that child's head?

"_Gosh, teme! Do you always have to turn everything into a big mess?__"_

"Listen to me. My son is **you**" Naruto said with fervor."I'm never gonna dump you for anyone. Never! There's no one that can take your place."

"But I was good all week," Sasuke moaned. "I did everything I was told and I got the best grades in class... but you didn't come home."

Naruto turned Sasuke around so they stat face to face.

"Sasuke... did you do all of that just so I came back home?"

The boy nodded.

"If I was perfect... you'd love me again. But it didn't work ... so when I heard of Gama-chan, I thought..."

Naruto finally understood.

"Sasuke ... you went to that bridge for me?"

Sasuke grabbed Gama-chan and pressed it against his chest.

"I saved it for you" the child said. "Because you said it is special to you and is special to me. Sorry I said to throw it away... I was mean. I want to have it. Please... don't give it to another boy... Please ... don't stop being my Daddy. "

The blond ninja couldn't take it anymore and also began to cry. He had really blown it this time. Because of him, Sasuke had been suffering and thinking that he no longer liked him. He had even believed that Naruto would dispose of him and a get new son.

_"I'm__... the worst dad ever..."_ Naruto thought.

Sasuke blinked as he saw Naruto crying and was frightened.

"Papa? Don't cry... I don't want to make you cry anymore. I'm sorry... I'm sorry I'm a bad son... "

Naruto pushed Sasuke against him and embraced him with all his might.

"You are the best son a father could want" Naruto said tenderly, stroking Sasuke's tiny spikes on his nape, which rose right up again. "I'll never leave you. You are stuck with me, teme. I love you. "

"You ... love me?" the child repeated.

"Of course! You're my favorite person in the world! I love you so much that sometimes I think I'll burst. So stop having weird ideas and stop doing dangerous stuff. If I lost you, Sasuke ... I couldn't stand it. "

Sasuke's onyx eye's widened. Sometimes, he felt all he did was hurt his Daddy, like he couldn't help it. He didn't wanna be mean.

"But... I'm made you sad. I keep making you sad... I don't want to... I wish I was perfect... so I wouldn't mess things up everytime."

"You don't have to be perfect... and it's okay for you to love your other parents too. That won't make me like you any less."

Sasuke leaned his head against Naruto's shoulder, feeling his blond hair in his face.

"I didn't dump you over Tou-san" the boy groaned. "I don't want to stop being your son. I want you to be my Tou-chan... I love you, Papa. I missed you so much. "

Naruto smiled and continued to rub Sasuke's back tenderly, trying to warm him.

"I missed you too" Naruto said. "But you know? I came to see you every day. In the morning, before I went to work, and at night when you were asleep. "

Sasuke smiled and blushed slightly, pleased that his father had come to see him even though he was sleeping. Feeling a little happier and warmer, the boy wrapped his arms around Naruto's neck and leaned his cheek against his father's face.

"Daddy?"

"Hm?"

"I'm still your boy, right?"

Naruto laughed.

"You'll always be my baby boy."

Sasuke smiled.

"Okay..."

* * *

Naruto spent the rest of the day with Sasuke at home and sent clones to warn Yakumo and Mayura that Sasuke was with him. During the night, they both slept in Naruto's bed, with a clean and dry Gama-chan in their midst.

The following days, Yakumo continued to take Sasuke to the kindergarten, but in the afternoon the little raven went to the elementary school to watch the survival course. Sasuke became a small celebrity at school for being the only one with guts to pick Gama-chan from the temple, while the ten year old boys had cowered. As such, Sasuke watched the games and the races with Gama-chan in his lap proudly, like a trophy.

When Hiro was completely healed and could return to his old job, Naruto returned to his old routine.

In one of those days, when they got home, Sasuke seemed more anxious than usual. When Naruto asked why he was so nervous, his son blushed like a tomato and began kicking the carpet in the living room.

"Is something wrong, son?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke gulped and stared at Naruto.

"I... I have something for you..." the boy stammered, shifting uncomfortably.

"For me?"

"Huh huh..."

Before Naruto could speak, Sasuke took his backpack and opened it, pulling out a very thin package and giving it to Naruto.

"It's for me?"

Sasuke nodded, growing redder and jumpy.

Naruto grabbed the package and began to open it carefully. His blue eyes widened.

"I know... it's late... because I forgot to make you a gift in the party... so..." the boy stammered, trying not to look at Naruto. "It's not very good... and I..."

Naruto laughed and opened the card that Sasuke had done. It was a card with a drawing of a bowl of Ramen on one side and a phrase written in black ink on the other.

**私はパパを愛して**

_(Ore wa papa o aishite)_

I love you, Papa.

"This is awesome!" Naruto exclaimed. "You did everything yourself?"

Sasuke smiled a little.

"Yes... Mayura-sensei helped me learn the kanji... they're not very good..."

"Are you kidding? You're amazing! Five years old and you already write so well!" Naruto laid a hand on Sasuke's hair and ruffled it affectionately. "My son is the smartest student in his school! This has to go to a special place... I know! "

Naruto left the living room and walked to the kitchen. With a magnet, he stuck the card right in the middle of the fridge.

"There! So I can see it every day! "Naruto said with a radiant smile.

"Do you really like it?" Sasuke asked.

"I love it! I will never take it of the fridge!"

Swelling with pride, Sasuke also laughed.

* * *

When November came, Naruto was ready to move. The apartment had been cleaned, they were all packed and the provisions for the trip to the archipelago in the Land of Foam were ready. They would have to change ships twice, but Naruto decided it was worth it before they could venture to Hankagai.

After Sasuke went to Ryo's house to say goodbye to his closest friend, the two walked to the main street, passing by the market for one last time.

"Are you sad?" Naruto asked the little raven who went to his side.

"A little..."

"One day, we can come back" Naruto said. "And it will be great to see your friends again."

Sasuke looked at Naruto and ended up smiling at him. Suddenly, the little boy stopped.

"What's wrong, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, looking at the child and follow his gaze.

Kenji and his mother were shopping at a grocery store. Kenji's mother still looked very thin, but her smile was not so sad and she looked less pale.

Kenji turned around and saw Sasuke in the street. Both the boys glared at each other for a few seconds, until Sasuke took a few steps towards the other boy. Kenji stood in his place, watching Sasuke suspiciously.

When they were face to face, Sasuke handed him a hand. Kenji's eyes widened.

"What do you...?" Kenji said.

Sasuke continued with his hand outstretched.

"Thank you… Kenji" the raven said.

Kenji continued to stare at his hand, puzzled. But, in the end, the accepted it and the two boys shook hands.

"Yeah... whatever..." Kenji muttered, though a little flushed.

Sasuke ran to Naruto and grabbed his hand. With a smile, the blond pointed to the road.

"Shall we go?"

"Yeah!"

But before they continued, Kenji called him.

"Sasuke!"

The raven turned and watched Kenji.

"Come back when you're a real ninja!" the boy shouted, returning to his mother.

Sasuke laughed and shouted back.

"Right!"

* * *

**Well... that was it. I hope I did a good job with the chapter. **

**To those who read Raven's Fall... well... you knew about the card ^_^**

**A also have a question... should I remake the first chapter of Phoenix Rising? Try making it more appealing? Or should I leave it like that? I would love to hear your opinion on this one.**

**Thanks for reading! See ya!**


	31. Memory Special: Sadness and Sorrow

**Well... I felt like making a small filler. It will only have two parts.**

**I wanted to write this on the begining of the story, but decided against it. So now here it is. A little treat to those who missed baby Sasuke. It will also answer a few questions about the first months Naruto took care of Sasuke. Keep in mind that Naruto is not the most patient person, this story shows a bad side of him.**

**And yeah! The title is a reference to the song from Naruto OST. **

**_Kuso_ means "Fuck it" or "Damn it" or "Shit"... you get the idea.**

**Also, I'm honoured to say that my fanfic as inspired fellow author Crystalzap to write a fanfic based on Phoenix Rising which I gave my support. The story it's called "Saving Sasuke" so here's a shout out for you to see it as well.**

**I hope you like this.**

* * *

**Memory Special Part 1**

**Sadness and Sorrow**

悲しみと悲哀 (_Kanashimi to hiai_)

_Five years __earlier, October 19th _

"Over there!"

"Where?"

"Five miles towards west!"

The large group of ninjas jumped quickly through the large branches of the trees. The moon above them was the only source of light on that cold autumn night.

A pack of dogs led the ninja group, running on the floor with their noses on the lookout for any known odor. After all, this was a search mission.

Haruno Sakura jumped from branch to branch next to her sensei, Kakashi. Both exchanged glances occasionally and nodded before concentrating on the way forward. That mission meant too much to them...

The dogs stopped and the group jumped in front of them.

"We've reached the village" Pakkun said, turning to Kakashi.

Everyone stared at the ruins of which once had been a beautiful village at the foot of a mountain. The houses still smelled of ash and smoke despite having burnt for almost three months. From what the ninja could observe, less than ten houses were still standing.

"Pakkun? Can you smell them?"

The dog shook his head sadly.

"Nothing... I can't smell Naruto or Sasuke..."

Sakura lowered her eyes, but didn't make a single sound. That didn't mean anything, she thought, after all… they had been there a long time ago. Obviously, their scent would have disappeared.

"Keep looking" Kakashi ordered. The dogs disappeared immediately in all directions. "Kiba! Think you can find some clues? "

Kiba jumped from Akamaru's loin and looked around with a concentrated expression.

"Even if they were here, it's been months" Kiba said. "The odds of finding a trail are virtually nil."

"Unfortunately, this is the last place we know that Naruto and Sasuke were seen" said the copy ninja. "There are no more tracks, so we must content ourselves with this village. Hinata... I know that it is unlikely, but..."

Hinata nodded.

"I understand! _Byakugan_!" the young kunoichi cried, looking for signs of life and chakra through the village.

Sakura remained quiet, staring at Hinata as she searched for the slightest sign of Naruto's presence. The search party included her, Hinata, Kakashi, Kiba, Neji, Shikamaru and other ninjas who had made a point to come in search of Naruto... alive or dead.

_"Not dead! He cannot__ be dead!" _Sakura thought. The idea that Naruto had left alone to fight and eliminate Sasuke was... unthinkable. What he was thinking? Why didn't tell her?

The answer was obvious... he didn't want her to intervene or to see what would happen. Naruto, like always, was thinking about her happiness. He didn't want her to see her two teammates fight to death. Or to see the man she loved die.

_"But you didn'__t have the right to keep me in the dark, Naruto! I'm not the same innocent little girl you knew when I joined Team 7. I changed. I am a ninja. And... Even I understand what needs to be done. Sasuke-kun… is not coming back. "_

Hinata's white eyes widened and she gasped. Sakura turned to her comrade.

"What did you see Hinata? Was it Naruto? Was it Sasuke-kun? "

Hinata shook her head.

"There are two people living in this village… but they are not ninjas..."

"Survivors?" Neji asked.

"That's weird" Shikamaru continued. "Sasuke didn't let anyone live in the other villages."

"We'll have talk to these people," Sakura suggested promptly. "They may have information on what happened!"

Following Hinata, the group moved quickly through the streets until they found a half burnt destroyed mansion.

"They're in there," Hinata said.

Kakashi moved slowly, ever mindful of a trap or a surprise attack. However, a scrawny boy came out of the mansion and stared at the Ninjas.

"Hello" Kakashi greeted carefully.

The boy didn't answer. He was pale and his eyes were blank and surrounded by dark circles.

_"__He looks like a zombie. This child was obviously traumatized by something… or someone"_ Kakashi thought. "Do you live here, young man? Are you staying in this house?"

The boy continued to stare at Kakashi as if he couldn't really see him.

"Kosuke!" a woman exclaimed, running out of the mansion and pulling her son against her. "Stay away! Don't you dare touch him!"

The woman was dirty and her clothes looked ragged. But the more worrying was the look of despair and madness in her hollow eyes.

Kakashi stepped back and raised his hands, trying to appease her.

"We come in peace" said the copy ninja. "We have no intentions to hurt you. We came to this village to investigate what happened."

The woman's shoulders stopped shaking, but she remained suspicious.

"Investigate? It's been months..."

"I know. But unfortunately, we only find out that this had been the last village attacked recently. "

The woman looked at the ninjas behind Kakashi frowning.

"Who are you?"

"Shinobi of Konohagakure" said Kakashi. "We came looking for the person who did this."

Something went off in her eyes as she hugged her apathetic son.

"It's too late..." she moaned, beginning to cry. "He came and killed them all... he destroyed everything..."

Sakura's heart ached as she saw the anguish in that woman's face. She didn't need to ask who was responsible for this massacre, nor the previous ones. Sasuke had become a madman out of control. So filled with hatred and thirst for revenge that he didn't hesitate to ruin the lives of hundreds of innocent people.

"It was just a kid... how can a kid be so monstrous?" the woman continued, sobbing. "As soon as he came to the village he killed a group of old men who only asked him who he was... that was it! Then... he killed everyone... he destroyed our homes, our stores, our crops... I lost my parents, my sister... he killed my husband... and... and... beheaded my oldest son... "

All ninjas were silent when the woman fell to her knees and wept bitterly. Sakura's and Hinata's eyes were filled with tears, while boys seemed sorrowful.

"How did you two survive?" Kakashi asked softly.

She took several deep breaths before he could respond.

"A blond boy... he... he saved us. Me and Kosuke. He stopped the killer from killing me from the back... he told me to run away... "

Everyone was tense and alert. _**That**_ was the information they had been looking for months. They had found that Naruto and Sasuke had been in this village.

"Ma'am, this is very important," said Kakashi. "The blond boy who saved you... he fought with the other boy? They fought here? "

The woman sniffed.

"I'm not sure... I just wanted to escape and save Kosuke. But I think I heard screams and explosions... "

Kakashi nodded. Naruto and Sasuke **had** fought in that village.

"When did you two return to the village?" the white haired ninja Asked.

"The next day... at noon... no one was here. I... came to bury my husband, my son, my friends... this village has always been my home... and now we lost everything. "

Kakashi asked Hinata to help grieving widow and her son. If the woman had any family left they would take her and the boy to them. Those two could not stay living here anymore, alone in the ruins of what had been their home.

Besides that village, there was no record of an attack. That meant the fight between Sasuke and Naruto had stopped the attacks. Obviously this raised other pertinent questions: if there was a fight, who won? Who lost? Who died? Did Naruto kill Sasuke? If so, why didn't he go back to the village? Was he injured or could have he died as well, as he said he would? Or if Sasuke had killed Naruto, why had he stopped the attacks?

"Where are you two?" Kakashi asked, investigating and looking for signs of an intense battle and noticed that he was walking away from the village.

Kakashi followed the cut trees, the craters on the floor and shattered the rocks until he reach a small valley. To his surprise, the valley was unscathed; it was as if the battle had ended when they arrived there. He investigated the entire valley, but didn't find a single clue about what happened on that fateful night.

He was about to return and focus on the village when something dark on the floor caught his attention. Kakashi approached that, at first glance, was a perfect circle of scorched earth and dried leaves.

_"This __was not made by nature,"_ the copy ninja concluded, kneeling and removing the dead leaves. To his surprise, right in the middle of the circle of scorched and barren earth, a small plant was born, it's only two leaves were small and light green.

Behind Kakashi, the sun came through the mountains and the dew that covered the small plant flickered.

* * *

Unlike what happened over the past 10 years, Sasuke didn't wake up thinking about revenge, power and death. In fact, when his onyx eyes opened slowly, trying to adapt to the morning light, he concentrated in the sunshine coming through the window and the small grains of dust that sparkled in front of him. Although his movements were clumsy and difficult to control, as is normal in a three month old baby, he tried to grab the grains of dust and sunlight with his little and almost translucent hands.

Tired of the sunlight, the baby focused on admiring his own hands, observing their form and touch as if he was seeing them for the first time. But even that couldn't entertain him for long.

He felt alone. There was an emptiness inside him that could not be filled. For some time, the baby knew there was something very important missing. He knew there was something missing in his life and had to find it. She had to be with him. He needed her.

His mother. Instinctively, he wanted his mother with him... where she was supposed to be.

A stomachache made the baby wail and his face flushed with the effort as he emptied his bowels in the diaper. Soon after came the discomfort of having all that crap under his bottom.

No more holding on, Uchiha Sasuke, Team 7 former member, former leader of Taka, former extraordinary ninja and genius... cried loudly because he needed his diaper changed.

* * *

Naruto growled and turned on his futon, trying, unsuccessfully, to ignore the sound of crying. Finally, _finally_ he had managed to fall asleep after Sasuke had woken up crying because he was hungry. Naruto had risen, prepared a bottle with formula and gave it to the baby who had been his best friend. But Sasuke didn't stop crying after drinking milk and Naruto had to rock him and walk around the house for twenty minutes until the little raven fell asleep.

Only one hour had passed, dammit! And Sasuke was crying again!

Groaning as he stood up, the blond came out of his room and opened the door to the next room. They had turned Fukasaku's living room into Sasuke's room because it was the warmest room in the house and closer to the bathroom.

The cupboards were filled with diapers, clothes, towels and medicines that cost a painful fortune to Naruto. Sasuke slept on a small futon but full of blankets, sheets and pillows because there was no money to buy him a crib.

The baby continued crying and waving.

"I'm coming... I'm coming..." Naruto groaned, feeling his eyes sore and swollen and his head heavy due to lack of sleep.

When he approached Sasuke, he smelled it.

"Oh, shit!" Naruto muttered, picking up the baby with a frown and taking him to the bathroom. "Don't look. Don't look. Don't look. "

But of course Naruto looked and shuddered.

"What the hell are you eating, Sasuke?" the blond growled, too tired to care about the angry tone of voice.

The baby continued to cry, even when Naruto gave him a bath and put a clean diaper. Lately, Sasuke was more irritable than ever. He wept for everything and anything and it was almost impossible to make him stop.

Deep down, Naruto was hoping the jutsu ended as soon as possible so he could get his life back. Fighting a crazy Sasuke was better than this.

After dressing Sasuke and wrapped him in a warm blanket, Naruto looked at the baby with a sorrowful expression. It was hard to believe that he had spent the last three months with Sasuke... because that baby was nothing like Sasuke! He wasn't able to look at the baby without wishing that the Sasuke he knew, who was his best friend, turned back into who he was. But up until now, he hadn't the slightest hint about the jutsu that Itachi had used.

On the other hand, Naruto was tired and sick of the situation. He didn't leave Mount Myōboku for two months and the last time he only went out to buy more baby stuff to Sasuke! There was nothing left but to take care of the baby Sasuke. And how the little devil showed him his gratitude? Cried, screamed and vomited on Naruto as if on purpose.

The blond was sick of this. He wanted to sleep a whole night. He wished he could go back to Konoha. He wanted to go eat at Ichiraku Ramen. He wanted to go on missions with his team. He wanted his life back.

He wanted Sasuke back. He wanted the arrogant, competitive and grumpy boy back. He wanted his best friend back.

The baby appeared to finally grow tired of crying and ended up falling asleep slowly in Naruto's arms, who landed him carefully on the futon. On tiptoe, the blond left the room and walked to the kitchen where the frog couple greeted him with little enthusiasm. When Sasuke awakes, everybody awakes.

"How is Sasuke-chan?" Fukasaku said.

Naruto grimaced and grabbed a carton of milk. The old toad had slept badly, but Naruto looked awful. He was pale, his eyes were red and swollen with dark circles around them.

"He cannot wake up crying again," growled the blond. "He can't."

Shima approached the table and landed a platter with seasoned flyers on the table.

"I know it has been difficult..." Shima said, trying to cheer Naruto up. "But it will improve. Older babies tend to sleep all night. "

Naruto looked at her with an angry look.

"I don't want him to be an older baby! I want him to go back to normal! "

"We know, Naruto-chan" Fukasaku continued. "But the jutsu is very difficult to find. And even if we find it... there is the possibility we won't be able to reverse it. "

The teenager's blue eyes widened in panic.

"What are you talking about? Sasuke will stay that way forever?" Naruto muttered, with a mixture of fear and exasperation.

"No! Of course we will be able to reverse the jutsu. There is always a solution to everything" retorted Fukasaku. Naruto couldn't hear that the jutsu could be permanent. The young man was too frustrated to even consider it.

The three began to take their breakfast in silence, occasionally yawning. Shima stood up to grab a plate but slipped and the plate fell to the ground with a bang, crushing into pieces. Naruto and Fukasaku looked, wide-eyed, to the door and listened.

Luckily, Sasuke didn't woke up and the three breathed with relief.

"YO! Good morning!" Gamakichi exclaimed cheerfully, opening the door.

From the living room, a moan quickly turned into screams. Sasuke woke up.

"GAMAKICHI!" the three screamed in fury, making the young frog retreat in fear.

"Eh ... Oops..."

Gritting his teeth, Naruto stood up, prepared a bottle and headed back to the room where Sasuke continued to yell. Carefully, Naruto picked up the boy and tried to calm him by rocking him back and forth and pressing him to his chest, but nothing seemed to work. Sasuke kept yelling and gesticulating, like he was possessed by a demon.

"Sasuke... stop..." the blond said, taking the bottle and closer to the baby's mouth, but Sasuke looked away and continued to scream."Stop screaming. I 'm just trying to help. "

The baby screamed louder and waved his arms as if trying to escape from Naruto grasp.

_**You're not hurt are you? Scaredy-cat.**_

_"This isn'__t Sasuke ..."_

_**Naruto you are one of the one's I want to fight the most.**_

_"This is not the friend I knew."_

_**I will acknowledge that you are strong. Because**__**... You are someone who knows the same pain of loneliness that I do. And… That pain makes a person stronger.**_

_"You're not who I wanted to save."_

The baby hit the bottle with his right arm and it slipped from Naruto hands, crushing on the floor and soaking the carpet with milk.

For Naruto, that was the final straw.

"SHUT UP! CAN'T YOU SHUT UP FOR A DAMN MINUTE?"

The shock silenced the baby and he got very still in Naruto's arms. His onyx eyes were wide with fright.

"I'M SICK OF THIS AND I'M SICK OF YOU! YOU'RE NOT SASUKE! "

"Naruto-chan!" Fukasaku shouted.

Naruto paused and looked at the door, where Fukasaku, Shima and Gamakichi looked at him with eyes full of concern. Realizing his anger, Naruto landed the baby on a cushion and ran out the door before he said or did something he'd repent. He stood beside a tree and gave it a punch, causing the plant to break in two.

"Kuso..." Naruto muttered, breathing heavily.

"Naruto-chan" Fukasaku said, following his apprentice.

Naruto glanced at the frog but quickly looked away.

"Sorry, Jii-chan Sennin."

"You're very tired and this is very frustrating for you" Fukasaku said softly. "It's normal that you are angry."

For some time neither spoke. Until Naruto could take it no more.

"He's not Sasuke anymore... he's not the Sasuke who I wanted to save. I can't look at him... it's too hard. I want the Sasuke I knew back..."

"I know ..." the old frog murmured, moving closer to Naruto. "Why don't you take a break?"

Naruto blinked and looked at his master.

"A break?"

"What you need is a little vacation and rest for a while. What if I transported you to the Kenkyū village? It is a peaceful place but fun as well. It also has one of the largest libraries on jutsus. Perhaps you can find something there. "

Naruto sat on the floor.

"But... what about..."

"We take care of Sasuke-chan" Fukasaku assured him with a smile. "I think me and Kaa-chan can handle it."

"Really?"

"Of course! You can go peacefully. You can stay there as long as you need."

Naruto had to admit that the idea was very tempting. He was so tired... so filled with frustration. Maybe it was better to back off for a while until he could think straight.

And get away from Sasuke.

"Okay, Jii-chan Sennin. It's a good idea."

* * *

In Fukasaku's living room, the infant was placed once more in his cozy futon. He was alone again and, despite being comfortable, having a clean diaper and a full stomach he couldn't feel at ease. That person, who he vaguely recognized as the one who took care of him most of the time, had screamed at him. And he felt his anger; he knew that anger was directed at him.

"Eeeehhh... Uuuh..." gasped the baby, this time silently.

The tears rolled down his pale cheeks and Sasuke felt a new and unknown emotion that broke his small and confused heart.

He felt hated.

* * *

Naruto could not believe what his eyes saw. It was a huge city, full of shops, gardens, fountains and people. Hundreds of people...

Damn, he missed being with other human beings.

With his backpack, the young shinobi went to the first motel he found and rented a room with the hot spring baths and meals included. When he got to his room, Naruto wore a kimono and lay on the floor, stretching and yawning.

One of the maids knocked on the door and asked if he wanted his meal. Naruto readily accepted and ate the delicious food. After months of eating insects, the human food seemed heavenly to him.

After eating, the blond closed the windows and lay on his futon. Seconds later he was asleep.

* * *

_3 days __later_

_Mount__ Myōboku_

"I'm bored" Gamayuri said with the yawn. "There's nothing to do here."

Gamaru gazed at his girlfriend with an angry look.

"You've already said it... three times."

"And I'm still bored" she shot back, turning her back.

Gamaru shrugged. When a fly landed on a rock near the lake where they were resting, he got it with his tongue and ate it. He was about to depart in search of more flies when the sound of the foliage made him turn around.

"Guys!" a small frog exclaimed, approaching them. "You won't believe this! I have news! "

"If you found another mushroom that looks like cat I don't want to know, Gamajun!" Gamayuri muttered with contempt.

"It's not that!" Gamajun said. "Those old geezers brought humans here again."

The eyes of the two frogs widened and stared at Gamajun.

"You sure?" Gamaru asked.

"Of course I am. I saw them! Fukasaku brought that blond human again, but this time he also brought another human. "

"More humans?" Gamaru repeated, not hiding his resentment.

"The blond kid left" Gamajun continued. "But the old geezers are with the other human. Want to see? "

Gamaru and Gamayuri acceded and followed Gamajun through the giant leaves.

Unlike the other frogs, they were not part of the toads that were summoned by ninjas. And they were proud of it! Who the humans thought they were to treat them like pets and how use them for their stupid battles? The toads were superior to humans in every way.

"There!" Gamajun said, pointing to a clearing.

The three frogs hid behind plants and observed Gamakichi and Fukasaku speak by the lake. Near them, Shima sat on a rock beside what looked like a basket.

"I don't see any human" murmured Gamayuri.

"You sure you were not dreaming, Gamajun?" Gamaru whispered, turning to his companion.

"Of course not... look now!"

The three frogs observed Shima open her mouth and, with the tongue, remove something from the basket.

"Is that... a human baby?" Gamaru asked, astonished.

"See! I said they had brought another one" Gamajun shot back with haughtiness.

"What are they going to do now? Are they gonna teach the humans senjutsu as soon as they are born?" Gamaru muttered, full of anger and contempt. "How could they? This is outrageous!"

"So... _cute_!" Gamayuri squealed.

The two frogs stared at her.

"Huh?"

"That baby is so cute!" Gamayuri continued. "I want it!"

"What?"

"You heard me, Gamaru. I want that baby. What a cute little thing!"

"Are you crazy, Gamayuri?"

"It'll be a great pet" Gamayuri said. "Think about it, Gamaru... we could tame it. Like the humans have done to us. "

Gamaru was about to fight back, but it was kind of a good idea. They could take it and train it to serve them. That baby fitted perfectly. Their own human pet.

"If you want it my love, then that is what you'll get" said Gamaru, making Gamayuri smile with satisfaction. "Gamajun! Get ready! "

"Huh? For what?" the little frog asked with some doubts. He didn't want to fight Fukasaku or Shima, he didn't have a death wish.

"You'll be the distraction."

* * *

Both Shima and Fukasaku were worried about Sasuke. Since Naruto left, they had effectively taken his place. Sasuke was clean, clothed and well fed even though it was only possible to touch him with their tongues. However, both knew that the baby was not well.

When he was not crying, Sasuke moaned all night. He had also seemed to have lost his appetite and willingness to play. The frogs knew he didn't like being touched by them, because the toad skin is cold and clammy. Sasuke needed to be touched by another human being, someone who could give him warmth and affection. But for now, there was nobody.

With each passing day, he seemed unhappy. It was as if he knew he had no parents. He knew he was an orphan.

And maybe… just maybe, he missed Naruto. Even though the infant didn't know what the blond was to him yet.

Sasuke woke up and started moaning in the basket. With her tongue, Shima took the baby and tried to move him up and down, but Sasuke continued to whine and moan.

"Shh! Shh! Don't cry, little one" Shima said with some difficulty by having her tongue on the child's abdomen.

Unfortunately, Sasuke would not calm down. His dark eyes were sad and tearful and his lips trembled. Shima knew the baby wasn't able to form a bond with them no matter how much they tried. That baby wanted his human parents. He needed to touch another human being and form a bond with it, or else he would never feel loved. He would never cease to feel alone.

Fukasaku and Gamakichi were training on the lake to relax a bit when a ball broke in front of them in a cloud of smoke.

"Tou-chan! Gamakichi!" Shima shouted, landed Sasuke in the basket and jumped in the direction of her husband.

When the cloud dissipated, and Fukasaku Gamakichi were covered by a viscous purple goo and glued to each other and the floor.

"But what the hell is this?" Gamakichi growled, trying to free himself.

"Ow! Sit still, Gamakichi "Fukasaku said.

"But what happened?" Shima asked, approaching them.

"I do not know..." said the old toad.

The sound of laughter of derision made the three frogs look up, noticing a dark green frog on top of a giant leaf, pointing to laugh at them.

"You guys are slow," the frog joked. "I don't believe the great Fukasaku-sama fell for a prank so simple."

"Gamajun!" Gamakichi shouted. "You bastard!"

"Well, well ... I thought the son of Gamabunta was more insightful" continued Gamajun. "You must be even dumber than your retarded brother."

"What did you say?" Gamakichi roared. "Don't you dare insult the Gamatatsu or I'll kill you!"

"Hmpf" snorted Gamajun before disappearing in the middle of the leaves.

"Wait, you coward!" Gamakichi tried to jump behind him, but was still glued to the floor and ended up falling on top of Fukasaku.

"Gamakichi! Calm down! We must free ourselves of this goo first "Fukasaku said.

"I'll help you," Shima said, throwing water over the two frogs until they were free.

"Don't mind him, Gamakichi" Fukasaku ordered. "That is exactly what he wants."

"He insulted me and my brother!"

"I know. But he doesn't deserve your attention. Forget him and..."

Shima's shriek made the two toads shut up and both ran towards her.

"Kaa-chan! What is it? "Fukasaku said.

Shima pointed to the empty basket where Sasuke had been.

Someone had taken the baby.

* * *

"Holy crap! Shut it up!" groaned Gamaru, looking at the crying infant Gamayuri was carrying.

"I… I can't… It doesn't obey me!"

The young couple entered their cave and placed the baby on one corner, where he continued crying.

"You're the one you said that you want it. So shut it up! It's giving me a headache."

Gamayuri told the baby to be quiet, like she was training a dog. But the baby didn't obey, he was terrified and cold and those two beings were scary.

Suddenly, Gamayuri backed away from the infant, covering her nose.

"EW! Gross! I think it crapped itself!" she shrieked. "I don't want it anymore. It's not cute… it's horrible and disgusting!"

Sasuke cried even louder as the frogs yelled for him to shut up and how disgusting he was. He didn't understand their words, but he felt their anger at him and how much they were repulsed by his presence.

Where was his mother? He wanted her to protect him. He wanted her… he need her…

Feeling scared and unloved, the child cried in despair.

Gamaru couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed a solid thick leaf and rolled it up. Then, he moved towards the baby.

"You wanna cry?" asked the frog. "Then I'll give you a good reason to cry, you disgusting thing! This will teach you not to crap on my floor!"

Gamaru took of Sasuke's shirt and started to hit him with the rolled up leaf.

* * *

**Part 2 will be the end of this Memory. It will also have a bit of more action.**

**To those who are also reading Raven's Fall, that story starts at the end of the last chapter, which means chapter 30 of Phoenix Rising. Naruto and Sasuke are in the Land of Foam there.**

**On a diferent note, I was the only one who freaked out at the end of the new Naruto OVA? When I heard that baby crying after Sasuke's Mangekyo close up, I was like: What the...? LOL Have the animators been reading my fic? (of course not! *joking*) Even so... that was freaky. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	32. Memory Special: Parent and Child

**Hey! Like I promised this is the end of the "Memory". If you want to know what happened to Naruto and Sasuke after they left the Land of Montains, it happens on Raven's Fall, in the Land of Foam. **

**Next chapter, will be a normal Phoenix Rising chapter... I planned a little surprise ;)**

**Well... enjoy!**

* * *

**Memory Special Part 2**

**Parent and Child**

親子 (_Oyako_)

It took three days.

Twenty minutes after they had kidnapped the human baby, frogs repented having laid eyes on it. The baby screamed and cried as Gamaru beat him with the rolled leaf, leaving red marks on the infant's back and belly. Sasuke only stopped crying when he no longer had the strength to yell.

Gamajun was ordered to take charge of the infant's "training", but nothing went as expected. No one changed Sasuke's diaper one whole day. The baby felt his skin hurt underneath the dirty diaper. Gamajun was forced to take it of the baby when the diaper was so full that it began to leak, leaving the child naked, dirty and hurt with diaper rash.

Angered by the disgusting work, Gamajun wiped the cave's floor where they lived and threw a bucket of cold water onto the child to clean him. Sasuke started crying from the cold and pain, getting more spankings from Gamajun and Gamaru.

They tried to feed the baby with maggots and flies, but he wouldn't eat them. Exasperated, Gamayuri gave him some water and left him alone in his corner. Later, they tried to train him to poop and pee outside the cave, beating him whenever he didn't "obey".

After some time, Sasuke stopped crying. When he cried the frogs would come, shout at him and beat him until he shut up. His back, legs, arms and belly were covered with bruises and scratches so, whenever he felt pain, he started moaning softly. He didn't want pain... if he'd cry; he would suffer more and more.

Three days after they brought the baby to their cave, the three frogs realized that the kid was not worth the effort. So Gamaru ordered Gamajun to get rid of him.

* * *

"Ah!" Naruto said, rubbing his swollen belly with Ramen. "I really needed this. It doesn't compare to the Ichiraku ... but it felt so good!"

The maid from the restaurant smiled politely over the many empty bowls of ramen that Naruto had devoured in seconds.

"Ah... I'm glad you liked it ... here is your bill" she said, handing the receipt to Naruto.

"To eat Ramen again, I'd pay with blood, sweat and tears if I had to. Where's my wallet...?" Naruto stuck a hand in his pants pocket and pulled out Gama-chan. "Here it is! Hm?"

In one corner of Gama-chan stood out a white stain.

_"Where did this stain come from?"_ Naruto thought.

Finally, he remembered. One day, while he was having lunch with Fukasaku and Shima, Gama-chan fell from his pocket and rolled across the floor. When Naruto realized that his wallet was missing, Sasuke had already caught it. Naruto tried to get the baby return the wallet, but Sasuke was delighted with it, he never had a toy before and Gama-chan seemed very funny.

"Sasuke, give me Gama-chan" Naruto commanded, extending his hand. The baby looked at Naruto's hands with a confused expression and ignored him, grabbing Gama-chan harder. "Sasuke! I'm not kidding! My money is all in there... give me the wallet now."

Instead, Sasuke brought Gama-chan to his mouth and bit it.

"HEY, TEME!" Naruto shouted taking Gama-chan from the boy's hand before his money got wet with drool. "Gama-chan is not food!"

The baby's eyes filled with tears and he began to cry.

"I think it's time Sasuke-chan gets his own toys" Shima said.

Naruto put Gama-chan in his pocket and picked Sasuke up, trying to calm him down.

"Sasuke doesn't want toys" Naruto said. The idea that Sasuke wanted to play with dolls was ridiculous. Yet there he was… crying because he wanted to play with Gama-chan.

Looking at the white spot on Gama-chan, Naruto felt a sudden urge to see Sasuke. Was he alright? Of course he was. Jii-chan and Baa-chan Sennin were taking care of him, but... was he happy?

Naruto tried to take care of Sasuke as he imagined the Sasuke he knew would want to be treated. He could not imagine Sasuke wanting to play with toys... he had never seen him having fun at the Academy and he had never seen him on the playground. When they weren't on missions, Sasuke used to train alone in his spare time. Naruto never saw the raven have fun. That was why he didn't buy toys for the baby... because he thought Sasuke wouldn't be interested in them.

But maybe Sasuke wanted toys, play and have fun. Maybe Naruto was so concentrated in the past Sasuke that ignored what Sasuke wanted now.

Shaking his head to dismiss those thoughts, Naruto paid his bill and went to the city's huge library. The librarian, an elderly and irritable woman, accompanied him to the scrolls on rejuvenating jutsus with an expression that plainly said _"I'm watching you"._

"Eh! But there are so many of them!" Naruto exclaimed, petrified before two huge shelves full of old scrolls.

"Shh! No noise in the library" the librarian scolded. "All these scrolls are very old and priceless. If you ruin something, I'll call the authorities."

"Yeah... Yeah..."

With her nose up and a suspicious stare, the librarian left Naruto.

_"Ok... which one am I going to read first?"_ the blond thought, frightened by the size and thickness of many scrolls. _"It's best to start with the smallest one."_

Naruto pulled out a small scroll and sat at a table. He barely opened the scroll, his blue eyes widened in perplexity. It was only about cells, nuclei and DNA and a lot of things that he didn't understand at all.

"Someone get me out of this!" Naruto exclaimed.

But before the librarian came to him to pull his ears, Naruto vanished in a cloud of white smoke.

"Naruto-chan!"

When he opened his eyes, Naruto realized he was no longer in the library. He had been summoned to Mount Myōboku by Fukasaku and Shima.

"Jii-chan Sennin?" Naruto asked, confused and rising from the ground. "Why did you call me back? I thought I could stay in town as long as I wanted? My things are still at the motel. "

The toad couple looked at each other. Naruto realized that they both looked exhausted and worried.

"What's wrong?" the blond ninja asked.

"Sasuke-chan..." Fukasaku said.

Naruto's eyes widened and he felt his heart beating faster. Oddly, the image that appeared in his mind was not of the Sasuke who he had fought against, but the little baby who used to fall asleep in his arms.

"Sasuke? What happened to Sasuke?" Naruto asked increasingly worried.

"He... disappeared. He was kidnapped. "

"Kidnapped? How? Who took him?"

Fukasaku continued.

"Three frogs that have resentment towards humans. Three days ago, we were resting by the lake when Gamakichi and I were attacked by one of them. It was only a few seconds, but it was enough to distract us... when we looked at his basket, Sasuke-chan was gone."

"Three days? And why didn't you call me sooner?" Naruto asked.

"We didn't want to worry you" Shima intervened. "We thought we would be able to find Sasuke-chan ourselves."

"But unfortunately, these three frogs know how to hide very well and we couldn't find their hiding even by trying to locate their chakra. The area is very extensive" Fukasaku continued.

"Sasuke-chan's chakra is almost nonexistent. We went looking for him for days without success. We need another Sage who knows his chakra."

Naruto gritted his teeth and went into Sage Mode. Along with Fukasaku and Shima, he ran through the foliage trying to sense Sasuke's chakra. The weather was cold and would start raining soon.

Naruto felt tight in his heart. Sasuke had been abducted while he was having fun like an idiot.

_**"I'm sick of **__**this and I'm sick of you. You're not Sasuke. "**_

Those were the last words that Naruto had said before leaving. He remembered how Sasuke had become suddenly silent and his eyes filled with fear.

How he regretted telling him that.

_"I'm gonna __find him"_ Naruto swore. _"He has to be okay."_

Fukasaku stopped and made a sign for them to stop too.

"What, Jii-chan Sennin?" Naruto asked. "Did you find anything?"

"I felt Gamajun's chakra... the frog that attacked us" Fukasaku said to Naruto. "He is a few feet away."

Naruto frowned.

"Let's go!" the blond exclaimed.

* * *

Gamajun swore loudly when it started to rain. Why the hell did he always had to be doing the dirty work? Well... the answer was obvious. Gamaru was bigger and stronger than him and if he disobeyed he could end up with two broken legs. Gamajun had always been Gamaru's henchman and as long as he obeyed, he'd never had to fight in his life. Being small and skinny, Gamajun never wanted to engage in combat. Working to Gamaru, he would not face any danger.

"I found him!" an angry voice shouted.

Before Gamajun could see who had had shouted, a fist went against his face and he flew several feet until he fell on the floor.

"Who ... who... is ...?" the little frog stammered.

Naruto was right in front of him, still with his fist raised and his yellow eyes filled with anger.

"Where is he?" Naruto growled, moving towards Gamajun and seizing him by the collar of his jacket. "Where's Sasuke?"

"Who?"

"Don't mock me! Where is he? "

Gamajun started shaking.

"I don't know what you're talking about ..."

Shima and Fukasaku approached them.

"He refers to the baby that you and your friends stole three days ago," the old frog interrupted quietly but with a frown.

"Baby? I know nothing about no... Ouch!" Naruto clutched his throat with force.

"Don't lie to me, kono yaro!" Naruto muttered. "Where is he?"

Gamajun was terrified. That man was furious and could even kill him. He had no other choice...

"...I left him in the woods nearly an hour ago" Gamajun replied. "I don't remember where..."

The fury in Naruto's eyes turned into horror.

"YOU WHAT?" the blond yelled.

"Naruto-chan, let this scumbag with us" Fukasaku said before the young ninja strangled the frog. "Go find Sasuke-chan. You're the only one who knows his chakra well enough. "

Naruto gritted his teeth and threw Gamajun to the ground before rushing to the middle of the forest of giant leaves.

Gamajun massaged his sore neck.

"It's no use" said the little toad. "Even if he finds him, the kid must already be dead. He barely moved when I left him. "

Shima glared at him.

"For your sake... he better be alive. We won't stop Naruto a second time. "

* * *

When the trickle of icy water began to fall on Sasuke's injured body, he couldn't even groan of pain or cold. On the last day, he had become apathetic to everything and everyone because nobody would give him comfort even if he cried or remained silent.

The little baby was lying to one side on muddy ground and completely naked. His weak breathing freed small clouds of steam in the cold air. His hands and feet were hurting him more and were getting blue.

Nobody wanted to know if he was dirty, hurt or sad. Nobody cared... he didn't matter.

He was alone. Nobody loved him.

He had no mother, he had already realized that. Maybe she didn't exist or maybe she had abandoned him. Either way, he knew she wouldn't save him.

The thunder echoed across the sky, like a roar of a monster, causing the baby to shrink.

It was difficult to stay awake. He just wanted to sleep to escape that pain and loneliness. His eyes were closing. He wished to sleep and never wake up.

* * *

Naruto ran and ran, looking everywhere. The rain did not help in the search and forced him to remove the water from his eyes constantly. Naruto tried to concentrate on finding his best friend's chakra, but felt nothing.

It was so cold... and Sasuke was alone for over an hour.

_"Why __did I leave?"_ Naruto thought bitterly. _"If I hadn't left... if I hadn't been a coward, this would never..."_

Distracted by his thoughts, Naruto stumbled on a rock and fell to the ground. He was so exhausted that his Sage Mode ended.

"Shit..." the teen cursed, trying to get up. It was dark and raining, he could no longer enter Sage Mode... and Sasuke was there, lost and alone.

"Why? Why do I always lose you?" Naruto lamented. "No matter what I do... I always end up losing you... SASUKEEEEEE!"

Naruto's scream echoed through the forest. Desperate, the blond lowered his head.

"Uumm..."

Naruto lifted his head and looked around. He heard a groan. He was sure it was a groan.

"Sasuke? Sasuke are you there? "

Wasting no time Naruto moved by the thick foliage, knocking the leaves away from his way and looking at all sides.

When a lightning illuminated the forest, he saw him… next to a tree.

_Sasuke._

Naruto ran towards the baby.

"Sasuke! Sasuke!" the blond exclaimed, landing on his knees beside the child.

His blue eyes widened in horror. Sasuke's body was covered with bruises and scratches. His little feet and hands were blue from the cold. His lips were purple and half-open, the body completely inert, as if...

"No! Sasuke, no!" Naruto groaned, taking of his coat, holding the baby in his arms and wrapping him in it. "You're not dead, you hear me? You'll be fine. Will you open those eyes and you'll be fine! "

The baby didn't react. Naruto felt his eyes burning and his throat tight. He clenched Sasuke against his chest and rubbed his back.

"Do something, teme... please do something" Naruto cried. "You can cry. You can cry all night ... I'll never scream at you for crying. I swear. So... don't die on me, Sasuke. Don't die... "

Naruto leaned his head against Sasuke's face. The baby's black hair was dirty and sticky but Naruto didn't care. All he wanted was for Sasuke to wake up.

"Don't go..." the blond sighed."I don't ... I don't want to lose you. I don't want to lose you again. "

Naruto hugged the baby harder and patted his back as he cried.

"Hmmm..."

The young ninja's eyes opened.

"Eeeemm... Uuuum..."

Naruto looked at Sasuke's face. The baby was moaning. He was alive.

"Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed, staring at the boy's face. "That's... that's it... open your eyes... look at me."

Baby's eyelids quivered and opened slowly. His dark eyes seemed empty and confused but, in the end, he focused on Naruto.

"It'll be okay, Sasuke" Naruto reassured him with a weak smile. "I promise you… it'll be ok."

Sasuke continued to stare at Naruto for a few seconds before closing his eyes again, his little chest rising and falling as he breathed.

* * *

"Naruto-chan!" Fukasaku and Shima exclaimed at the same time when Naruto came out of the woods, carrying Sasuke in his arms.

"You found him" Shima said, approaching them to see the baby. "How is he?"

Naruto glared angrily at Gamajun.

"They beat him, scratched him... those fuckers almost killed Sasuke!"

Gamajun trembled but couldn't escape because Fukasaku had trapped him on a tree.

"We'll pursue his companions" Fukasaku said. "Gamajun already told us where they hide."

Naruto nodded and handed Sasuke to Shima.

"Baa-chan Sennin... take care of Sasuke."

To his surprise, Shima walked away.

"No, Naruto-chan" she said. "_You_ will take Sasuke-chan to the hospital in Kenkyū. We handle this here. "

"What? No way! I have to find the frogs that did this to Sasuke!"

Shima stared at Naruto in the eyes with a serious expression.

"If you want to do something for Sasuke-chan, take him with you and take care of him" Shima retorted. "He needs you... more than you think. A frog cannot take care of a baby human. "

"But..."

"She's right," Fukasaku said. "If you really care about Sasuke-chan, then stay with him when he needs you. Let us deal with the frogs. "

Naruto looked to his masters and then to Sasuke. All the young ninja wanted was to punch frogs that had hurt him, he thought it was the only way to unload all the rage and guilt he felt for having allowed them to take Sasuke. What could he do more for him but that?

Before he could talk back, Naruto saw smoke enveloping him and disappeared. When he opened his eyes, he was in a dry Kenkyū street, dripping.

Wasting no time, Naruto took Sasuke to the city hospital. As he entered the emergency ward he shouted that he needed help, he had a sick and wounded baby. What happened next was blurred. A group of doctors and nurses surrounded him and Sasuke disappeared from his arms. Shortly after, they took him into a room and when Naruto tried to follow them, they wouldn't let him go.

Naruto walked in circles impatiently in the waiting room, wondering why they were taking so long... why nobody told him anything...

"Naruto-san?"

Naruto turned around and saw a woman in a white coat. He recalled that she was one of the doctors who took Sasuke. How did she know his name? Did he say it when he went inside the hospital? He no longer remembered... everything was very confused in his head.

"Sasuke," the ninja asked. "He'll be all right?"

The doctor nodded slowly.

"Thankfully his injuries weren't serious" she said. "He broke no bones and we couldn't find any damaged organs. Within a few days he will be ready to go home. "

The relief made Naruto sit in the chairs, placing a hand on his chest.

"Good..."

"Naruto-san?"

"Huh?"

"Could you tell me what happened?"

Naruto was taken to the doctor's office, he found out by reading a plaque, she was named Minami Keiko. After having sitting, Naruto told her everything. He told her he was a ninja and that he was taking care of Sasuke in Myōboku Mount, where the frogs who he summoned lived. He told her, with a huge feeling of guilt, that he had felt frustrated with the baby and gone to spend some days in the city, until the frogs invoked him back because Sasuke had been kidnapped.

"I found it in the mud... alone... I thought he was dead..." Naruto said, feeling tears behind his eyes. "If only I hadn't left... he..."

Keiko was an understanding person and knew that taking care of a baby could be exasperating at times. And Naruto was very young.

"Doesn't he have someone else?" the doctor asked. "Can't another family member stay with him?"

"No" Naruto replied. "I'm all he has... and I blew it."

* * *

Naruto didn't leave the hospital.

Sasuke was lying on a cot and was still in isolation, so Naruto could not enter his room. Instead, the blond stood at the window of the bedroom door to look at the baby, making sure he was still alive and breathing.

When they finally gave him permission to enter the room, Naruto pulled a chair next to the crib and watched Sasuke while he slept. Most of the bruises were disappearing and scratches were barely visible.

Naruto realized how stupid and selfish he had been. He just thought of himself and how Itachi's jutsu had affected him rather than thinking about Sasuke and how he felt. He was so worried thinking about the adult Sasuke, who he knew, that he had hurt the baby Sasuke who he had become. Obviously Sasuke's feelings would change if he was a baby, but Naruto had wanted him to behave like before, that's was why he had felt angry with Sasuke.

Naruto had done exactly what Shima said. He had abandoned Sasuke because he was no longer the friend he remembered.

But he was still Sasuke, Naruto would never doubt that. With or without memory, Sasuke was Sasuke. And Naruto would accept Sasuke even if he was a baby.

Carefully Naruto patted the boy's black hair and smiled when he saw him sleeping so peacefully. Suddenly, Naruto felt something in his heart... a feeling of affection that he could not identify.

_"What is this feeling?"_

A nurse came in with a bottle in hand. As she saw Naruto, she stopped by the door.

"Oh? Good morning!" the nurse greeted with a friendly smile.

"Good morning" Naruto said, turning to her.

The nurse approached the crib and smiled when she saw Naruto's hand gently stroking the baby's head.

"Finally they let you be with your baby, huh?" the nurse said, convinced that Naruto was the child's father. However, Naruto didn't realize what she had implied.

"Yes. When can he come home?" Naruto asked.

"Soon" the nurse replied. "You're lucky. He is a very strong and brave boy."

Naruto smiled.

"I know."

With the sound of voices, Sasuke groaned and began to wake. Naruto approached the crib and greeted the baby with a huge smile.

"Good morning! That was a big nap, huh? "Naruto said, making the nurse laugh. Sasuke stared at Naruto with a confused expression.

When the nurse came to give him the bottle, Naruto asked her whether he could do it.

"I haven't done this for awhile" the blond said.

The nurse nodded "Sure. I bet Sasuke also misses that. "

Naruto bent over the crib and grabbed Sasuke. To his surprise, the baby moaned softly and stood rigid as a statue in Naruto's arms.

"Huh? Sasuke... what's wrong?" the blond asked.

Naruto was troubled when he saw Sasuke's face. The baby's eyes were wide open; his lower lip was trembling and he was white as a sheet.

"Sasuke? Are you in pain? Do you feel sick?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke did not seem in pain... he seemed afraid... of Naruto.

"Why is he like this?" Naruto turned to the nurse. "What's wrong with him? Why does it seem that he is afraid of me? "

"He's been like that with every person who touches him" the nurse said with a sad expression. "He's afraid to be hurt again."

"But I'm not going to hurt him!" Naruto retorted. "He knows me! I would never hurt him. "

"I know... but Sasuke is too scared at this point. He can't trust anyone... not even you, Naruto. He doesn't want to be hurt again. "

* * *

A few days later, Sasuke was discharged from the hospital and Naruto took him to the motel where he was still installed. A frog had brought a bag with diapers, milk bottles and clothes for the baby. Although the other two toads had already been caught, Fukasaku and Shima were busy with their trial. Besides, Sasuke was still not one hundred percent recovered and the best was to let him recover in a clean and warm room because it was very cold on Mount Myōboku. Besides, Naruto wanted to be alone with Sasuke and try to win back his confidence before taking him back to the frogs.

When Naruto brought Sasuke to his room in the motel, the baby had been still and silent in his arms, as if waiting for a beating if he made noise. When Naruto laid the infant on the _futon_, he noticed that Sasuke tried to keep as far away from him as possible. If he could, the baby would flee and hide.

"Sasuke... come on..." Naruto said, sad and a little hurt that Sasuke didn't want to be near him. "Don't be scared. It's me, remember? Naruto. The Dobe. "

The young ninja tried to pick up Sasuke, but as barely touched the baby, he whimpered and trembled. Not knowing what to do, Naruto once again put him down on the _futon_.

"Sasuke..."

For a while, Naruto did what Sasuke wanted and kept his distance, approaching him only to change his diaper and feed him. The blond thought that, with time, Sasuke would trust him again if he saw that Naruto didn't harm him. But the raven was still scared and didn't want to be touched by Naruto.

Naruto missed being able to pick up the baby freely and see Sasuke smiling innocently for silly things like a funny face or a color. It broke his heart to see him so broken.

One day, Naruto could take no more. He picked up his futon and lay down next to Sasuke while he was taking a nap. When the raven woke up and saw Naruto, he was again startled by his presence. But this time, Naruto didn't leave. Instead, the blond approached the child and pulled his small body against him. Sasuke stood rigid as a board, but Naruto didn't drop him and patted his back and head with care.

"It's okay" Naruto said softly.

Sasuke remained quiet and moaned several times, but Naruto didn't let go. A few minutes later, the boy began to relax. That hug was so warm and comforting...

Before long the two fell asleep.

Naruto woke up when Sasuke began to whimper again. Feeling the smell, the ninja knew immediately why.

"It's time to go to the bathroom, huh?" Naruto said, almost amused. "C'mon."

Naruto took Sasuke to the bathroom, undressed him and took off his clothes. Not all wounds had disappeared from Sasuke's body and Naruto's eyes saddened when he saw a greenish black bruise on the little baby's back.

"I know! How about a warm bath?" Naruto suggested. Strangely, he felt he should talk to Sasuke, even though he couldn't understand him. "You'll be much better after a bath. Seriously! There is nothing better than taking a bath, wear your pajamas, eating and going to sleep. You have a dream life, huh teme?"

Naruto filled the sink with hot water and began to wash Sasuke gently with a sponge. Then, he poured a little soap in one hand and washed the baby's thin black hair carefully. Sasuke relaxed when Naruto began to bathe him, he liked when he touched and washed his skin. He liked to feel Naruto's warm hands. He recognized the blond person as his previous caretaker… before the pain came. He had returned and was treating him. But… why? He wasn't his mother.

_Who was he? Who was he to him?_

Naruto took Sasuke and wrapped him in a fluffy white towel, dabbing him softly not to hurt his bruises and scratches. Afterward, he took an ointment that the doctor had prescribed and rubbed into the baby's wounds.

"You'll be ok in no time" Naruto said.

Sasuke remained quiet as Naruto rubbed the ointment into his body until he saw something that caught his attention. A baby with black hair and eyes was staring at him. Curious, Sasuke stretched his arms towards the baby, the baby did the same. When Sasuke stretched one leg and wiggled his arms, the baby in front of him imitated him.

When all wounds were covered with the ointment, Naruto put it back inside it's box.

"All done! Now let's get you dressed, okay?" the young ninja asked. It was then that Naruto realized that Sasuke was making faces at the mirror. "What is it, Sasuke?"

The baby continued to wave toward the mirror, trying to touch your his reflection. Naruto remembered that there were no mirrors in Fukasaku's house, so Sasuke had never seen his own reflection.

"Ah! Want to see yourself in the mirror?" Naruto said smiling, holding Sasuke and sitting him in front of the mirror. "I didn't know you were so vain."

Sasuke stretched his arms and touched the mirror; his expression was a mixture of admiration and confusion.

"Ah... Sasuke? You know that baby is you, right?" Naruto asked, but Sasuke continued to watch his own reflection, more and more intrigued. "Don't tell me... you don't know you're human?"

Maybe Sasuke thought he was a toad! After all, he had been surrounded by frogs for the last three months. What if Sasuke started croaking and hopping all over the place like a frog?

_"No! I have to stop it!__" _Naruto thought in panic. "Hey, Sasuke... you're a human being, you understand. You're _**not**_ a toad. You're a human being."

Sasuke looked at Naruto when he came over and took the baby in his arms, facing the mirror.

"See? That's you" Naruto said, pointing to the mirror. "Those are you and me. We are human, you know? See?" Naruto grabbed one of Sasuke's little hands and placed it on his open hand. "We have the same hands and the same skin..."

Sasuke looked at the mirror and then to Naruto again. The baby's hand was a lot smaller and pale in comparison with Naruto's, but they were equal. Sasuke grabbed one of Naruto's fingers and felt the warmth of his skin.

"You also have eyes, a mouth and a nose like mine" Naruto continued, pointing to his face.

Sasuke reached out both arms and touched Naruto's cheeks, his nose and his mouth. Finally, he grabbed a lock of his blond hair.

"Yes. You also have hair like me" Naruto said, laughing. Sasuke let go of his hair and placed his hands on Naruto's chest, staring at him intently.

Naruto turned back to the mirror and Sasuke stared at their reflections.

"See? We are the same" Naruto finished.

Sasuke looked back at Naruto and then stared at the blonds' chest. Without warning, the little raven opened his mouth and rubbed his face in Naruto's chest.

"Huh? What are you doing, Sasuke? "

Sasuke continued to open and close his mouth, rubbing his face in Naruto's chest. It was almost like he was looking for his...

"AH! Sasuke, no!" Naruto removed the baby from his chest. "I... I can't give you milk that way!" the blond said, very red. Sasuke wanted him to breastfeed! "Sorry... no milk in my boobs…!"

Well… Naruto could use his Sexy Jutsu and… _Oh, hell no!_ That was too weird! And just plain wrong!

Hungry and frustrated, the child moaned and his eyes filled with tears. Naruto hurried to dress him and prepared a bottle of milk. When he was ready, the young ninja sat on the _futon_ with Sasuke in his lap and gave him a bottle. The baby drank the milk with delight and his eyes fixed on Naruto's face, who smiled at him and, with his free hand, stroked his back gently.

Sasuke leaned his face against Naruto and completely relaxed, closing his onyx eyes. Feeling safe, the baby fell asleep before finishing the bottle.

Hours later, Naruto lie down next to Sasuke and fell asleep with the baby pressed against his chest.

* * *

When the morning light illuminated the room, Sasuke was the only one to wake up. The baby made no sound, merely opening and closing his eyes slowly. He felt warm and at ease... he also smelled the odor of someone he knew, by instinct, cared about him.

His onyx eyes met Naruto's face, who was still asleep. The baby watched him closely and felt happy to be with that person. Slowly, Sasuke touched Naruto's face with his little fingers and stroked it slowly. In response, Naruto mumbled something in his sleep and hugged Sasuke harder, making the baby's face lean against the blonds' neck.

The baby felt safe. He knew that person would do him no harm and would protect him from pain and loneliness. With Naruto's warm skin against his cheek, Sasuke felt his heart overflowing with affection for him. He knew they were connected.

_Love_. He loved him. He loved that person so much... he just wanted to stay with him forever, because... he was family.

That was when Sasuke finally realized it. That person was not his mother... he had no milk and wasn't female, but it was the other parent. Sasuke had finally found him.

_"Father__"_

Neither Naruto nor Sasuke realized when the symbol of the Black Phoenix appeared on the baby's back and the two seals formed in their chests. After three months, the other half of Itachi's jutsu started working.

Sasuke had found his father.

When the Kanji _"Father"_ appeared in Naruto's chest and Kanji _"Son"_ appeared on Sasuke's chest. Naruto's chakra started to leave by his abdomen and formed a thin line that joined with the baby's navel. As minutes went by, Sasuke's chakra became increasingly similar to Naruto's.

The infant ended up falling asleep again, happy to be in his Daddy's arms.

* * *

When Naruto returned to Mount Myōboku with Sasuke in his arms, he was greeted with smiles and tears. Shima fell on him and tried to make sure that Sasuke was okay, but when she tried to pick up the baby, Sasuke grabbed on to Naruto, not wanting to be away from him.

"Don't be sad, Baa-chan" Naruto said. "When I took him to a few shops, all the ladies wanted to hold him but he refused to let go of me. He's very clingy."

Shima moved away but smiled.

"You two seem very close now" she said.

Naruto grinned.

"Naruto-chan... can you take Sasuke-chan back to his room. We have a surprise" Fukasaku said.

Naruto frowned and followed the frog couple. When they entered Sasuke's room, the blonds' eyes widened with amazement.

"Wow!" Naruto exclaimed.

A wooden cradle, decorated with a lot of frogs, was at the center of the room.

"Where did get this cradle?" Naruto asked.

Fukasaku blushed.

"Well ... I made it" the old toad said. "I wanted it to be a surprise. Hope Sasuke-chan likes it. "

"He'll love it. Right, Sasuke?" Naruto replied , landing Sasuke on his new crib.

The baby cooed and wiggled his legs and arms, keeping his eyes on Naruto.

"Oh! That outfit is so cute" Shima said looking at Sasuke. "He's adorable!"

Sasuke was wearing a brand new dark blue _Jinbei_.

"Yeah! I bought this yesterday when we went shopping "Naruto said, putting a bag on the floor. "We also bought him some toys and new t-shirts."

"T-shirts?" Shima said.

Naruto smiled and showed her the shirt he had bought. It was black and the middle was written: _Mister Poopy Pants_.

"You won't make him wear _that_!" Shima said, shocked.

"Oh, come on! It's funny! " Naruto replied. "And it's true most of the time."

Shima opened her mouth to reply but Sasuke began to wail in his new cradle. Naruto picked up the baby and sat on the floor with Sasuke in his lap.

"Well... since you received so many gifts today I think it's time to give you this" Naruto said looking at Sasuke and getting something out of his pocket. "This is for you, Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes widened and he immediately stretched his arms, grabbing Gama-chan.

"Naruto-chan... you're giving it to him?" Fukasaku asked. "But it's your wallet."

"It's okay" Naruto replied, smiling when Sasuke nibbled Gama-chan. "I took all the money from it and filled it with dry leaves. I already bought an adult wallet for me. Besides... Sasuke adores Gama-chan."

And it was true; Sasuke grabbed the wallet again and shook it. When Gama-chan fell to the ground, the baby laughed. Naruto picked up the wallet and gave it to Sasuke again.

The two played with Gama-chan for hours. Naruto laughed almost as much as Sasuke, feeling strangely close to the baby.

Naruto and Sasuke didn't know it yet, but they were getting one step closer to becoming parent and child.

* * *

**That was it. I hope you liked the Memory. I****t's funny that the readers are starting to call my story PR! That's cool!**

**_Jinbei_ sets consist of a top and matching shorts. Go see it at Wikipedia! The one Sasuke was wearing was based on the second picture. It's really cute.**

**If you wanna know how baby Sasuke looks like, go see his picture in Narutopedia (I was the one who put it there ^_^) and it's cannon. It's from chapter 500.**

**Well, next chapter will be a normal one. Thanks for reading.**

**Don't forget to review! I love to read them! See ya!**


	33. Fate

**Hi! It's really ****been a while, huh? The truth is I wanted to finish Raven's Fall before going back to this story. I asked the readers their opinion if Raven's Fall should be canon on the Phoenix Rising universe, and about 90% of the answers were ****"Yes"****. **

**So, if you wanna know what happened to Naruto and Sasuke when they were on the Land of Foam, please read Raven's Fall.**

**Well… here you have the chapter. Enjoy!**

normal

_flashback or dream_

"talking"

_"thinking"_

**_"older memory"_**

**"Inner Sakura"**

* * *

**Fate**

運命 _(Unmei)_

_Haruno Sakura didn't quite remember when she became infatuated with Uchiha Sasuke. She was just a little girl at the time and he was the handsome and popular boy at the Academy. Her heart began to beat faster every time she looked at him. She wa__nted him to notice her and talk to her… that's when she first found out she had a crush on him._

"_Everyone! Listen! Listen!" Sakura had said to her friends. "I have a boy I like now! Who do you think it is?"_

"_Say it clearly" one of the girls answered._

"_Just don't tell us it's Sasuke-kun" another one said._

_Sakura blinked._

"_Eh? How did you know?"_

"_Isn't it obvious? Sasuke-kun is the most popular guy."_

"_What? Really…" Sakura replied, slightly worried. "So there's a lot of girls who like him… what should I do?"_

_Ino and many ot__her girls liked Sasuke, but he never really showed interest in any of them. That not only made him look cooler but also made them want him even more. _

_When Sakura was placed on the same team as him, she thought it was a dream come true. Her chances of winning his heart were a lot higher. If they spent time together, he would finally notice her and her feelings._

_That never happened. If fact, the more Sakura tried, the more Sasuke seemed to look down on her. _

_She knew __now she had been naïve. Sasuke wasn't perfect and had flaws like everyone else, but that didn't matter to her. Sakura never tried to see beyond his good-looking face. She never saw the darkness inside his heart growing like a cancer._

_By the time she saw it… It was too late. __Still… her feelings didn't change. Despite everything, Sasuke was still the cool and handsome boy she had fallen in love with. She wasn't… she couldn't… let him leave them… her._

_The pink haired girl __moved slowly from the shadows into the moonlighted street. As she expected, Sasuke was walking slowly, carrying a backpack heavy enough for a long journey. A journey of no return._

_As he saw her, the Uchiha stopped._

"_What are you doing __down here so late at night?" Sasuke asked, unsurprised by her sudden appearance. _

_Sakura looked down. She knew why he was there. _

"_In order to leave the vill__age, you have to take this road" she answered. _

_Sasuke started walking again__, going through her. _

"_Go home and sleep" the raven said, continuing to walk away._

_As the sound of his footsteps moved further away, __a single tear fell down Sakura's cheek. _

"_Why?" she asked quietly. She couldn't take it anymore and turned around. "Why won't you say anything to me?" she yelled. "Why do you shut everyone out? Why won't you tell me anything?"_

"_Why do I have to tell you?" Sasuke answered back, irritated. "I'm telling you that you meddle too much. Stop bothering me all the time."_

_Sakura just couldn't stop her tears as they ran down her face. She looked away with her lips trembling. There he was, the boy she loved since she was a __child. Just looking at him and talking to him was enough… and he didn't care for about how she feel at all._

"_You always act like you hate me, Sasuke-kun" Sakura said with a sad smile. "Do you remember? When we became genin… The day the three-man teams were decided, and we were alone at this very spot. You were angry at me, weren't you?"_

_That had been the day she had complained about Naruto and how he was so foolish because he had no parents to scold him. Sasuke had looked at her, with cold fury in his eyes and told her that she was annoying. She didn't know anything about being alone. _

"_I don't remember" Sasuke answered._

_Sakura's eyes widened and new tears fell, however, she kept smiling because she didn't know what else to do. _

"_That's right. That was a long time ago" she said. "But it started on that day. You and I, and Naruto and Kakashi-sensei… The four of us have done a lot of missions together. It was difficult, and it was awful, but… But… Even so… It was fun!"_

_Sasuke was still with his back to her, in complete silence. She had to say it now, or else he would leave… she couldn't lose him. _

"_I know what happened to your clan. But with revenge alone, you won't be able to make anyone happy. No one… Neither you… or me…"_

"_As I thought" Sasuke replied__. "I am different from you guys. I follow a different path than you guys. The four of us together… It's true that I have thought of that as one possible path. Despite the four of us having been together, my heart has chosen revenge. I live for that purpose. I can't be like you or Naruto." _

"_Aren't you going to be lonely by yourself?" Sakura answered back, with desperation rising in her voice. "Sasuke-kun, you told me that being alone was painful! I know that very well, so much that it hurts! I have family and friends. But… If you leave, for me… To me, it's the same thing as being alone!"_

"_From this point on, new paths will start."_

_It was obvious now. Sasuke was done with Konoha, he was done with Team 7. There was nothing holding him… nothing that could make him stay. _

"_I... I love you with all my heart!" Sakura yelled, moving towards him. "__If you would only be with me, I promise, I'd never let you regret it. Every day would be a joy. I can give you happiness! I'd do anything for you, Sasuke-kun, so please! I'm begging you, don't walk away! I'll even help you get your revenge! I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen, I swear! So stay here... with me... and if you can't... Take me with you, Sasuke-kun.__"_

_Sakura continued to cry and sob, staring intently at Sasuke's back. Finally, the raven haired boy looked at her with a smirk. _

"_After all this, you're still annoying."_

_Sakura __gaped; her heart was so tight that she thought she was gonna die from the pain. She had told him that she loved him and that she was willing to do anything for him, even leaving the Team and the village as well… and he still felt nothing._

_Sasuke started walking away again._

"_Don't go!" she cried, frantic to stop him. "If you go, I will scream out loud and…"_

_Sasuke disappeared out of her sight. Then she felt his presence right behind her._

"_Sakura…" Sasuke whispered. "Thank you."_

_Sakura blinked__. In front of her she saw hundreds of corpses, their blood soaking the streets. Everything was destroyed and burning, she could still hear the distressed screams all around her. _

_There was blood on her hands and chest as well. That was when she looked who was lying at her feet. _

_Naruto's blue eyes were open, but empty and staring at nothing. He was lying on his back and covered in blood from a huge hole on his chest. _

_He was dead._

"_No…" Sakura whimpered, falling on her knees and hugging the blond. "NO! NARUTO! NARUTO, NO! NOT YOU!"_

_As she cried, holding her __lifeless teammate, Sakura saw a flash in front of her. Abruptly, someone grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up. As the kunoichi tried to free herself, her eyes widened when she recognized who was strangling her._

"_Sa… Sasuke-kun…"_

_Uchiha Sasuke had blood running from his crimson eyes and a crazy grimace of pleasure in his face. Sakura saw the Chidori on his other hand and knew what was about to happen. _

_The person she loved__… was a monster._

"_See ya" Sasuke said._

_Sakura __didn't have time to scream, as her decapitated head flew in air._

* * *

"Sakura… Sakura!"

Sakura woke with a start and placed a hand on her chest, panting. Her green eyes were wide open and a trickle of sweat ran down her pale face.

"You okay?" Ino asked, approaching and knelling in front of her.

Sakura stood up and rubbed her eyes.

"Yeah... I'm fine" the medical ninja said.

Ino didn't seem convinced.

"Are you sure? You were whimpering a lot in your sleep. "

"It was just a nightmare..." Sakura said. "I think I worked too hard on the mission. I always have nightmares when I'm exhausted."

"Well… If you say so…"

Team 10 had asked Sakura to accompany them on a mission to Land of Metal. While Ino and her two teammates defeated a group of bandits, Sakura treated the wounded in the looted villages. The mission was a success and Shikamaru killed the leader of the thugs, the rest of the gang had been arrested and would await trial by the local authorities.

The Konoha's ninja were ready to return to the village, but Ino had forced them to take a detour. A blonde heard wonderful rumors about Hankagai, the famous "Capital of Shopping" and didn't want to miss the opportunity to visit it, much to Shikamaru and Choji's dismay.

Sakura looked around and saw the sun rise behind the mountains. They had spent the night in a clearing and were no longer far from the city. Shikamaru was already up and prepared breakfast in a small fire, while Choji looked at the food, drooling.

The four ninja ate in silence, occasionally yawning.

"Oh... I don't understand why we have to travel so far" Choji muttered. "We should go back to Konoha and..."

"No way!" Ino yelled, as her eyes glared. "I had to stay with you a whole day at the food festival last year! Now it's my turn!"

Shikamaru put his bowl of rice on the floor and stared at his team-mate with his usual dull expression.

"You don't need us to go to the city" Shikamaru said. "You could go alone, Ino."

"Going shopping alone is no fun" Ino said with a playful smile. "Besides ... I need help to load the bags."

"Heh!" Shikamaru shouted.

"I knew she would say something like that..." Choji mumbled.

"Damn! How troublesome!" Shikamaru said, while Ino laughed.

"What about you, Sakura?" the blonde kunoichi asked. "You sure you don't want to stay with us? It will be a one of a kind opportunity... and you could improve your old-fashioned wardrobe. "

Sakura smiled, though one vein was pulsating dangerously in her forehead.

"No thanks, Ino," she answered. "Unlike you, I don't want to spend my money on such frivolous things."

Sakura was happy to see Ino's cocky smirk turn into a pout. But actually, she didn't have enough money to spend on shopping. If she went with them, she wouldn't be able to restrain herself and would end with what remained of her savings. She was going with them to the city, and then she was going back to the Land of Fire by ship.

**"Why ****did I spend so much money decorating my room? Shānnarō!"**

* * *

Naruto wasn't expecting for his morning workout to be different from usual. He had gone to train at five in the morning to one of the beaches surrounding the Hankagai city, leaving Sasuke with a clone at home. The training was going normally until he saw a huge cargo ship dock at the seaport. Both the captain and the sailors were livid and worried. They didn't have enough time to unload the shipment because half the crew had a cold and the ship was delayed due to a storm.

The blond approached the captain and asked what was going on. When the old man saw his Hirai-ate on his forehead, he practically begged him to help them unload the cargo, promising him a big buck reward.

Considering this as a good opportunity to train, Naruto summoned hundreds of clones and tried to unload everything in the shortest time possible. When he finished, the captain almost kissed him with emotion and paid him 1,000,000 ryō, the minimum payment of an S-class mission.

In a good mood, Naruto returned home quietly. His clone disappeared the moment the blond went into his bedroom and Naruto knew that Sasuke had stayed asleep the whole time since he left home.

Naruto took off his forehead protector and put it in a drawer, where he also hid all that was related to his shinobi life. Soon, Sasuke would start his ninja training and, only then, Naruto was planning to tell him that he was also one. If his child found out that Naruto was one of the most powerful shinobi in the world, he would never leave him alone and would have asked him to train immediately.

Sasuke was only five years old... he had time to become a ninja, so Naruto wanted him to enjoy a normal and carefree childhood for as much time as possible.

After the nightmare that they had to face in the Land of Foam, Naruto was even more determined to let Sasuke be what he hadn't been since his clan's massacre: a child.

Naruto was also concerned with something else... he heard about the rivalry and feelings of inferiority that Sasuke had felt while growing up constantly being compared to Itachi. Naruto didn't want the same to happen between them, thus he felt a little nervous, not knowing how to prevent it.

Trying to forget these worries to come, Naruto picked up his clean clothes and headed for the shower. After a bath, the blond got dressed and went to his bedroom to make his bed.

They had reached Hankagai less than a week ago and it was difficult to get an apartment in such crowded city. Finally, Naruto managed to rent an apartment in the city center, in one of the tallest buildings. They lived on the eleventh floor of a huge blue tower. During the day, they could see the sea and ships always arriving and leaving from the port, at night, they saw the city lit up by hundreds of different colors.

Naruto still hadn't enrolled Sasuke in any daycare; as a result, the little raven boy spent all days with his father, both touring the city. Sasuke was in no hurry to go to the kindergarten; he loved spending the day with Naruto.

The previous day, they had visited a famous pastry shop in the city and bought a mixture of cakes. Then, and since it was such a beautiful sunny day, they went to the park and sat on a bench in the garden, eating candy and talking.

Naruto noticed that Sasuke was quite chatty now, a rather contrast to the stern and taciturn Uchiha Sasuke he had known. Nowadays, Sasuke liked to talk about what he didn't understand, about what he liked or disliked, about his dreams and fears... sharing everything with Naruto. The blond, sometimes, liked to think that Sasuke had kept so much inside of him for 17 years that now needed to talk all at once. He was a kind child and had a good heart. Naruto couldn't be more proud of him.

However, there were still problems that they had to deal with.

It happened when they were still in the city park. After they ate, Naruto brought Sasuke into the garden and sat on a bench while the boy ran and jumped through the trees. Shortly afterwards, Sasuke was invited to play tag with boys. Everything was going normal until Sasuke's turn to catch the other boys came. The raven demonstrated an extraordinary speed and reflexes for such a young child, perfect for a future shinobi, so he had no trouble catching almost all boys. Except one...

That boy was quick but, above all, could move away when Sasuke tried to catch him, leaving the raven angry and increasingly frustrated.

Naruto continued to observe them relaxed, but blinked when he recognized the same look of exasperation and anger that Sasuke had thrown him years ago in Konoha's hospital and during their battle in the Valley of the End and in the Fourth Shinobi World War.

The boy was still running and laughing, teasing Sasuke and challenging him to catch him. Increasingly irritated that he was losing, the raven jumped up the boy and threw him against the ground, digging his nails into his skin with a winning smirk.

The boy screamed in pain and started crying. As he realized what he had done, Sasuke got off the boy. Shortly thereafter, the boy's mother came to him as well as the other children and other parents.

"He hurt me..." the boy whimpered, pointing an accusing finger at Sasuke."He hurt me a lot!"

Sasuke turned white as a sheet, feeling that everyone was watching him.

"I ..." the raven stammered. "Sorry... I didn't mean to..."

"You're mean!" the boy cried, burying his face in his mother's arms.

"Don't cry, sweetie" the boy's mother whispered, stroking his back and staring at Sasuke. "You hateful brat! Why did you throw him to the ground? "

Sasuke felt his heart tight and his throat sore as he noticed that everyone was staring at him with a cold and angry glare.

"I'm sorry..." the raven said, feeling his eyes burning.

"You don't ask for apologies, you avoid them!" the woman cried. "What is wrong with you?"

Naruto moved towards the crowd and walked up to Sasuke. Seeing his father, Sasuke felt even more ashamed and guilty.

"Are you responsible for him?" the woman asked as she saw Naruto coming.

"Yes, I am" Naruto said. "I'm sorry for what happened... what Sasuke did was wrong but he just wanted to win the game and he didn't mean to hurt anyone."

"That's not what I saw!" the woman cried. "This boy was enraged! He's a danger to the other children!"

Naruto frowned and stood in front of Sasuke, as if to protect him from the woman's words.

"He is sorry and he apologized" Naruto replied, trying to control his voice. "It won't happen again."

The woman stood with her son, still crying, clinging to her arm.

"It _**won't**_ happen again... because my son will never get closer to that boy again" the woman said, turning away.

The other kids also left but not before looking at Sasuke with hateful stares.

"We don't want you to play with us anymore!" one of them exclaimed, leaving with the other boys and their parents.

Naruto and Sasuke were left alone in the garden's clearing, listening to the parents of the other children telling them to stay away _"from that dangerous and horrible boy."_

Naruto looked at his son, not knowing what to say. He knew that what Sasuke had done was wrong and had felt disturbed to see the familiar hate in the child's eyes. However…

"Sasuke..." Naruto muttered.

Sasuke's shoulders shook and the raven looked down, with his lips trembling, tears running down his cheeks and falling to the ground. Sasuke felt bad... his heart ached. The boy felt that everything they had said about him was true... he was evil and dangerous, that's why all those people hated him. Even Daddy was disappointed with him.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." the child moaned through his sobs.

Naruto knelt down and took Sasuke in his arms, letting the boy cry uncontrollably on his shoulder.

"I... I didn't want to hurt him..." the little boy moaned.

Naruto felt relieved that Sasuke felt genuinely sorry about what he had done. But it was hard for him to see his son so sorrowful, even if that was a result of his competitive personality.

"I know... you gotta be more careful next time, okay?" the blond said, moving away from the garden. "It was just a game... don't take everything so seriously."

Sasuke nodded and clung to Naruto harder, crying louder and louder. When they reached their house, Sasuke barely ate his dinner and wanted to go to sleep soon after. Naruto lay in bed with him and stayed until the boy fell asleep.

In the morning, Naruto went to his regular training routine, hoping that a good night's sleep had calmed the raven.

Naruto left the room and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Then he heard Sasuke scream.

* * *

_"Murderer!__"_

_Sasuke looked up. He was trapped in a ravine, surrounded by hundreds of people who looked at him with cold and hateful eyes._

_"Traito__r!" someone shouted._

_"Damn murderer!"_

_"Monster!"_

_People kept screaming louder and louder, calling him names and throwing stones at him. Sasuke covered his ears, but to no avail... he could still hear everything._

_"Stop!" the raven cried. "Please... stop!"_

_People kept shouting at him, insulting and saying he was despicable, evil, a murderer and a traitor._

_"Kill him! He doesn't deserve to live!__"_

_Sasuke looked at the people, terrified of all that hate. No one defended him or was worried about him... everyone wanted him dead._

_"Why?" Sasuke asked, his voice shaking. "Why do you hate me so much? What did I do?"_

_Something big and heavy moved towards Sasuke. The raven looked up and saw a giant monster with many tails that looked like tentacles of an octopus. The monster's head and had horns like a bull._

_Sasuke's legs lost their strength and he fell to the ground, paralyzed with fear._

_"No...Please, no…"_

_The monster opened its mouth and a black ball formed inside. Before Sasuke could flee, the monster threw a ray of yellow light against him, destroying everything in its path._

* * *

Naruto came thundering to the room and saw Sasuke screaming out of control and writhing on the bed, tangled in sheets and blankets. The blond approached the panic-stricken child and tried to wake him up, avoiding a kick in his face.

"Sasuke" Naruto said, grabbing the boy. "Sasuke wake up! It's okay!"

Finally, the raven opened his eyes and stopped moving, staring at the room's wall with a look of terror on his face. He seemed not even know where he was.

"Sasuke?"

The boy blinked and his dark eyes were focused on Naruto. It looked as if the boy didn't recognize him, staring at him with a confused and blank gaze.

"Pa... Papa?"

Naruto nodded slowly. Sasuke's dark eyes filled with tears and the boy clung to Naruto.

"Shhh ... Don't cry, son" Naruto said softly. "It was just a bad dream... is over."

Sasuke buried his face in Naruto chest, seeking affection and comfort. During the dream, he just felt cold. He felt alone and hated, in a frozen black world.

And worst of all, Sasuke felt he deserved to be alone and be punished for being so hateful and evil like those people said he was. It wasn't the first time the boy had dreams like that... he still remembered the nightmare he had when he was bitten by the snake and when his father had a fever. In every dream, he was a bad person who just hurt people.

Naruto took Sasuke in his arms and carried him to the bathroom to brush away the sweat from his face with a wet cloth. Then, the blond lay the boy on his bed.

"Are you feeling better?" the blond asked.

Sasuke looked away. He had never been able to tell his father about the content of his nightmares, not only because he wanted to forget them but also because he didn't Daddy want to know about what he dreamed.

But this time, Sasuke felt he didn't say anything, those feelings would destroy him from the inside.

"Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"You think I'm bad?"

Naruto smiled at him affectionately.

"No" the blond replied. "You're not bad, Sasuke."

"I think I am..." the boy said. "I dreamed... I dreamed I was all alone and that many people called me names and hated me... they told me they wanted me to die."

Naruto stroked the child's wet hair.

"It was just a nightmare, Sasuke. Don't think about it. "

Sasuke stared at Naruto in the eye.

"Papa? What's a _traitor_? "

Naruto widened his blue eyes.

"Where did you hear that word?"

"In my dream... people in my dream called me a traitor and a murderer... and monster..."

Naruto realized what had happened. Sasuke had a dream related to his erased memories again. Like that time when Kabuto and poisoned him in Nikko.

"A traitor... is a bad thing, right?" he asked.

Naruto gulped, but replied.

"Yes... a traitor is a person who abandons their friends... is someone who only thinks about himself and is liar... I don't know how to explain it very well..."

Sasuke looked at his hands, feeling more and more loathsome.

"Sasuke... are you still thinking about what happened yesterday in the garden?" Naruto asked.

The child nodded.

"You know what you did was wrong?"

"Yeah..." Sasuke replied. "I didn't want to lose the game and that boy was laughing at me... I got very angry... I didn't want to lose. I just wanted to win the game... didn't want to hurt that boy... I didn't want everyone to be angry with me... "

"When you said you were sorry" Naruto said . "Did you mean it?"

Sasuke nodded fervently.

"Yes! I promise I will never do it again. I'm very, very sorry... but now he hates me... everybody hates me... no one will forgive me... even if I say sorry... "

Naruto couldn't help but think of all the people that Sasuke had killed or hurt over the years in his quest for vengeance and power. The blond knew that many people would never forgive him, believing that he was beyond redemption.

"Sometimes... we do things that hurt others" Naruto said. "Even by accident we hurt others. Sometimes, we are forgiven... but other times, no matter how sorry we are, some people won't forgive us. When that happens, we have to live with our guilt, but we must also learn to forgive ourselves and try to be a better person. "

Naruto wiped a tear from the child's cheek.

"You're a good person, Sasuke" Naruto said, smiling. "You have a good and gentle heart. I believe you. "

Sasuke stifled a sob.

"Really?" the boy asked.

"Absolutely" Naruto replied, placing a hand on his head, like Minato had done in his subconscious. "And don't think no one likes you. You have a lot of people that loves you and cares about you. Tsunade Baa-chan, Shizune Nee-chan, Gaara, Gama Jii-chan and Baa-chan, Gamakishi, Gamatatsu, Iruka-sensei and me... we all love you very much."

Sasuke felt pleasant warmth in his chest, remembering all those people. Looking to the side, the boy noticed the photo of Naruto's parents.

"Would they like me too?" Sasuke asked, pointing to the picture.

Naruto blinked, a little confused.

"Huh? They? My parents?"

"Yes... they're my grandparents, right?" the boy asked.

Naruto had never thought of it. It was a little strange to hear Sasuke to call his parents 'grandparents', but the blond had to admit it was true.

"I think they would be very proud to have a grandson like you" Naruto said laughing. "Your grandfather was also very smart and fast... you look like him."

Sasuke's eyes widened. The boy had seen many similarities between him and his biological parents ... he never thought he could also be likened to the family of his adoptive father. But his adoption was magical, and Sasuke remembered that Naruto had said he had the same blood as him. That made the raven feel very happy... he wanted to feel connected to his Tou-chan as well and be like him.

"Grandpa looks just like you, Tou-chan" Sasuke said, staring at the picture.

Naruto nodded, unable to avoid feeling proud.

"Yeah... after all, he was my Tou-chan!" the blond exclaimed.

His grandpa Minato was really like Naruto. They even had the same hair and the same beautiful blue eyes.

Sasuke wanted to have eyes like theirs so much.

"Sasuke...?" Naruto noticed the thoughtful expression on Sasuke's face.

With a resolute look, Sasuke pulled Naruto's shirt up and tucked under it, leaving the blond both surprised and confused.

"Sasuke! What are you doing? "Naruto asked, feeling the little boy moving around against his belly. "Be careful! Don't tickle!"

"I wanna be like you!" the boy exclaimed, his voice muffled by the shirt.

"Huh?"

"I wanna look like you, like you look like Grandpa" the raven whispered. "I want to be born from you!"

Naruto blinked, not knowing how to react to that surprising situation.

"Sasuke... you know that only mommies can get pregnant, right?"

"I know... but I want to grow on your belly and be born of you... I wanna be like you too... I wish I had blue eyes like yours..."

Naruto laid a hand on his belly, smiling slightly.

"Your eyes are perfect" the blond said, although he felt secretly glad that Sasuke wanted to be like him. "Believe me… there are people who would do anything to have eyes like yours."

Naruto was obviously thinking of the undeveloped Sharingan that Sasuke hadn't activated yet. His Uchiha legacy. The old Sasuke would never say something like that; he would never wish Naruto's "second-rate" eyes.

"But I like your eyes more, Tou-chan" the boy replied. "I wish I was really your baby."

"You _**were**_ really my baby," Naruto said, massaging the back of the boy hidden under his sweater. "It was a little different... but you were my baby."

Sasuke wrapped his small arms around Naruto's waist and leaned his head to his chest, listening to the beat of his heart. Did babies listen to the hearts of their mothers when they were on their tummy? Did they fell so warm and comfortable like he felt now?

"Tou-chan? Can I stay here a little longer?" the boy asked. "Can we pretend that I'm in your tummy?"

Naruto laughed and continued to rub his _"pregnant belly"_. That was weird, but tender at the same time.

"Okay... we can pretend for a while."

Underneath Naruto's shirt, Sasuke smiled and hugged his Papa tighter, as if he was trying to get closer to him.

* * *

Shortly after taking the breakfast, it started to rain. Sasuke ran to the window in the living room and stared at the drops of rain wetting the porch and the roofs of the lower buildings. On the streets, people rushed as always, wearing colorful raincoats and opening their umbrellas.

Around three o'clock, Sasuke left his bedroom with a bored expression on his face and sat next to Naruto on the couch.

"I'm bored" complained the boy. "There's nothing to do..."

Naruto landed Jiraiya's book, which he was rereading, and stared at his son. He too was kind of bored.

"You're right..." muttered the blond. "What if we go shopping?"

"Huh? But that's boring too, Tou-chan."

"It's better than being locked up here at home staring at the ceiling" Naruto said. "And we haven't seen the gigantic mall of this city yet. They say they have the largest market in the world. Let's take the chance to take a look, okay? "

"Hm..." Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay... but can I take a toy?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yes... but not the katana!"

"'kay!" the boy exclaimed, running to his room.

Ten minutes later, Sasuke and Naruto left home, dressed in raincoats and hoods. Sasuke chose to bring the red rubber ball that Tsunade had given him.

"Be careful not to lose it" Naruto said, grabbing the small child's hand so they wouldn't be separated by the crowd.

"Okay ... I'll be carefull!"

The shopping area was packed with people despite the rain. Naruto went into a clothing store, remembering that his sandals were already a little worn. After choosing a new pair, the blond looked at Sasuke and remembered that the boy needed new shirts; he was growing before his eyes.

"Can we go now?" the bored boy asked.

"Not yet... You need new shirts."

"Oh! Tou-chan, no! This sucks!"

"It doesn't suck. Come on... you get to pick your shirts, what do you say? "

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Really? Can I choose? "

"This time you'll be the one to do your shopping," said Naruto, turning to the children's section. "You choose."

Noticeably more enthusiastic, Sasuke ran to the shirts for boys and moved the hangers. Shortly after, he returned with several shirts in his arms. The blond took him to the locker room and helped him to try out the shirts, watching the raven to observing himself on the mirror with a serious and evaluative expression.

Naruto's eyes widened when he saw the last chosen shirt. It was a short-sleeved blue shirt with a high-collar, very similar to the one Sasuke wore when he belonged to Team 7.

The boy grabbed his shirt and put it on before watching himself in the full length mirror. Since he had brought white shorts from home, the raven looked like a miniature version of himself when he was twelve years old.

"This one!" Sasuke said with a smile. "This one is the coolest ... I want it!"

When Sasuke looked at Naruto, his smile faded. The blond was looking at him but it seemed like wasn't seeing or hearing him.

Sasuke approached his father and pulled his pants.

"Tou-chan?"

Naruto blinked, coming back to reality and facing the boy.

"Huh?"

"You don't like the shirt, Tou-chan?"

Naruto got up and walked away to see the boy.

"This is the shirt you want?" the blond asked.

Sasuke nodded, although a little afraid. He liked the shirt, but he also wanted Naruto to like it. To his relief, Naruto smiled.

"Okay... so we'll buy that shirt" the blond said.

"You like it too, Daddy? You think I look cool? "

"You look really cool" Naruto answered with a warm and sincere smile.

Happier, Sasuke dressed his old shirt and his raincoat again and headed for the cashier to pay the clothes. The employee blushed when she was talking to Naruto and smiled at Sasuke.

"When you grow up you'll be as handsome as your father" the lady said, handing a lollipop to Sasuke.

Both happy, father and son went up the elevator to the third floor, to the food section. To Naruto's horror, Ramen was half price and a huge crowd was literally fighting for each package. If Naruto didn't hurry, no Ramen would remain... but he couldn't Sasuke drag to the middle of those crazy people. They would step on the kid to death.

"Oh, damn!" Naruto muttered, turning to Sasuke. "Sasuke... you stay here still and quiet for a minute, okay? I'll try to grab a package of Ramen. Don't talk to strangers and don't go anywhere, okay?"

Sasuke nodded and saw Naruto trying to pierce through the crowd. Sasuke couldn't help and laughed when Naruto had to crawl across the floor to get to the shelves. Nobody messed between his Dad and Ramen.

A man bumped against Sasuke and his red ball bounced off his hands. Horrified, the boy saw his ball roll across the floor and fall down the stairs.

"No! My ball! "

Not knowing what to do, Sasuke looked at Naruto, who was still trying to grab a package of Ramen. His father had told him not to leave, but he also had told him not to lose the ball.

Seeing his red ball moving away, Sasuke decided to go after it. When he caught it, he'd return to the same site. But people were always getting on his way and kicked the ball inadvertently, making it roll far from his reach.

Sasuke ran behind the ball to the ground-floor. A woman kicked the ball and it flew out of the mall. Putting his hood over his head, Sasuke ran after it.

* * *

"Ah! I'm in heaven!" Ino said with a pleased smile. "I cannot believe I'm really in Hankagai! All those hours working at the flower shop were worth it! "

Behind her, the three shinobi were none too happy.

"It's raining a lot, Ino" Shikamaru muttered. "How are you going shopping with this storm?"

"Neither rain, nor sleet or snow I will make me leave this city!" Ino growled.

Shikamaru and Choji sighed. Sakura took the opportunity to say goodbye.

"Well... my ship is leaving soon," the medical ninja said. "I really gotta go guys."

"Are you really sure, Sakura?" Ino asked. "You could go with us to Konoha. And I would like you to give me your opinion ... maybe I'll buy a new outfit to invite Sai-san to go on a date. "

Sakura thought Sai wouldn't pay any attention to what Ino dressed; he would just look at her without knowing how to react or look for a book about the topic before going to dinner with her. But she decided to say nothing. If Ino wanted to seduce Sai, it would be fun to watch.

"Thank you, Ino. But I can't go... Have fun for me, would you?" Sakura said, turning away. "See you guys at home!"

Team 10 waved her goodbye and Sakura disappeared into the crowd, regretting more than ever not having saved money to go shopping. As much as she didn't want to admit, Ino was right... she really needed new clothes. After all, she was almost 23! She had to dress like a grown woman now.

Although her face was calm on the outside, Sakura was fuming inside. It was one of those situations that if Sai and Naruto were there with her and annoyed her, they would fly in the air by her fists.

**"I s****hould have done more missions! I should have been more careful when I bought new furniture for my room! Who told me to choose the most expensive store? Shānnarō!"**

She wanted to change and become stronger. Sakura had a new goal: to grow and gain courage instead of relying on someone else to come and make all her sadness and pain disappear. Remembering the girl she was when she joined Team 7, Sakura could only regret having been so useless to her team-mates. She had never reached them.

_"Naruto... Sasuke-kun..."_

Sakura felt something hit her in the leg. When looking at the floor, she saw a small red rubber ball. Curiously, the kunoichi bent down and picked up the ball.

"Strange..." Sakura muttered.

"Miss?"

Sakura looked left. A small boy, dressed in a beige raincoat and with a hood over his head, stared at her a few feet away.

"This ball is yours?" Sakura asked with a smile.

The boy nodded.

"Huh-huh"

The boy walked up to Sakura and raised his hands to her to give him the ball.

"Here you go" the medical ninja said, landing the small rubber ball in the child's hands. Sakura had to admit that the boy was adorable, with big onyx eyes and black hair visible under the hood. "Where are your parents?"

The boy turned and pointed to the huge shopping mall behind him.

"Then you should go back to them" Sakura advised. "They'll be worried about you."

"Okay..." the boy said, getting ready to go.

"Bye!" Sakura said waving.

"Bye" the boy answered, moving off towards the mall. "Thank you"

_**"Sakura**__**... Thank you."**_

Sakura blinked, confused at having remembered Sasuke. The kunoichi tried to see the little boy again, but he had disappeared into the crowd.

Trying not to think about it anymore, Sakura shrugged and headed for the port.

* * *

After recovering the ball from that lady, Sasuke turned back. The boy thought it wouldn't be difficult to find the door where he had left, but looking around; he saw that all the doors at the mall looked the same.

Trying to keep calm, Sasuke went in and out of various doors, looking for the clothing store where he had been, the elevator or the stairs. But he couldn't find anything. He didn't know where he was... he was lost.

With his heart beating painfully against his ribs, Sasuke leaned against a wall and started to cry. Most people passed him and ignored him, convinced that someone would help the crying child. But nobody stopped.

Sasuke continued to cry, sobbing and wiping his tears with the back of the hand which wasn't holding the ball. He was afraid... so afraid...

"Papa... Papa..."

Suddenly, a young woman with long blonde hair caught in a ponytail, knelt beside him.

"You okay?" the blonde lady asked. "Are you lost?"

Sasuke lifted his tear-filled eyes and nodded.

"I want my Daddy!" the boy sobbed.

The blonde lady looked back and yelled.

"Shikamaru! Choji! I need help here!"

* * *

**There you have it. Sorry, no Sakura and Sasuke meeting yet. I have something on my mind for that.**

**Also the "You don't ask for apologies, you avoid them" is actually a portuguese proverb (_as desculpas não se pedem, evitam-se)_, I don't know if I translated it very well.**

**Now… I would like to confess something and I hope you don't get angry at me or stop reading the story because of it… the truth is I don't like the SasuSaku pairing. I'm sorry to those who do, but I don't. I never did, since the series beginning I hated the pairing. I'm not saying it's impossible for it to happen (I was disappointed when Sakura showed that she still loves Sasuke in the recent chapters), but I wouldn't like the pairing to happen. **

**I'm also not a NaruHina shipper… sorry.**

**Now… I hate pairing wars, and I won't participate in none. I have my reasons to not like the pairings, which I won't discuss here. **

**Like I said, this story won't have pairings****, so please don't worry too much about it, ok? **

**I hope you liked the chapter. **

**See you guys, next time!**


	34. Threat

**Hi there! First of all, I got 81 reviews from last chapter! I was thrilled! I never had so many reviews before, so THANK YOU!**

**One of my first memories is getting lost in a supermarket when I was about 5. The funny part is that neither of my parents was aware that I was missing; each one thought I was with the other. Imagine their surprise when they heard my name in the speaker. I thought they were gonna be angry, but they weren't ^_^**

**Did any of you ever got lost as a child too?**

**This chapter is a little shor****ter, but I hope you'll like it.**

* * *

**Threat**

脅威 _(Kyōi)_

When Shikamaru and Choji came to their team-mate, they noticed that she was kneeling next to a young boy dressed in a beige raincoat and hood over his head. Still, they could see the tears running down his pale and frightened cheeks.

"What is it, Ino?" Choji asked.

Ino looked at the two boys with a worried look on her face.

"This boy is lost" the kunoichi explained.

Shikamaru put a hand on his hip.

"And? What do you wanna do about it? "

"What do you think? We need to help him!" Ino exclaimed, irritated. "We can't just ignore a lost little boy!"

The boy sobbed louder.

"I want... I want my Papa..." the child cried, more and more scared.

Ino turned to him and landed a comforting hand on his back.

"Don't worry" the blonde said. "We'll help you find your father" her blue eyes stared at Shikamaru with a dangerous gaze. "_Right_, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru nodded but remained tense, he knew there was no point in arguing with her.

"It can't be helped" the young shinobi said, kneeling in front of the boy. "Calm down, okay? We'll help you find your father. "

The boy withdrew his hands from his face and looked at Shikamaru with his teary onyx eyes.

"Really?" the boy asked, frightened and suspicious at the same time.

There was something in the way the boy frowned that surprised Shikamaru. It was as if he had seen it somewhere before. But then again, he kept so much information in his head that it was hard to forget petty details. Probably someone he had seen or met frowned that way, but now he could not remember who or when.

The young genius nodded and asked the child to tell him where he came from. When the boy told him he had went down the stairs from the third floor, Team 10 tried to find the shop selling Ramen. However, the mall had several buildings and twelve of them had Ramen for sale on the third floor.

* * *

Naruto raised his arms in the air, so that the packets of Ramen had bought were not crushed by the crowd that surrounded him. The blond was practically pushing people to finally get out of the store.

_"Ah__... I thought they were gonna kill me. People who go shopping on an empty stomach turn crazy!" _the blond Jinchuriki thought. "Sasuke! Sorry it took so long... "

Naruto's blue eyes widened. Sasuke was not in the place where he left him. Worried, Naruto called him several times and searched for him through the crowd, but the boy had disappeared.

Still terrified by what had happened in the Land of Foam, Naruto immediately thought that Sasuke had been kidnapped again. Grabbing the shopping bags, the young ninja jumped to a peaceful roof and got into Sage Mode, trying to sense the child's little chakra among thousands. His yellow eyes widened when he finally felt Sasuke, but was dumbfounded when he recognized the chakra of the three people who were with him.

* * *

After walking for thirty minutes, Ino, Choji, and the boy sat on a bench inside a small room, sheltered from the rain. Shikamaru had gone to seek help from a security guard who had been worse than useless. The security guard told him that not only was very difficult to find someone that day and with that rainstorm, but also said it wasn't the shopping center responsibility to help lost children.

"Ah ... I'm exhausted!" Choji said, pulling a packet of crisps from his backpack. "This is like finding a needle in a haystack."

"Choji!" Ino scolded, pointing to the frightened boy who was sitting among them.

"I mean... of course we will find your Tou-chan… he's not a needle…" Choji said quickly, smiling at him.

The boy sniffed.

"What if I never find him?" the boy asked, staring at Choji with its black eyes through the fringe of his raven hair.

"Of course we'll find him!" Choji reassured him. "Your Tou-chan must also be worried and looking for you. He won't leave without you, right? "

The boy nodded.

"No... Tou-chan wouldn't leave me here alone..."

"Exactly! So you have nothing to worry about. You'll find him in no time" Choji opened the packet of crisps. "Want one?"

The boy hesitated because he knew he shouldn't accept food from strangers, but he was hungry and those misters and lady were trying to help him find his Daddy.

"Okay..." the boy said with a small smile, taking a potato chip and eating it.

"That's right" Ino said, smiling. "You have no reason to worry."

Shikamaru went back to his team with an expression even duller than usual. Ino got up and went to him.

"So? Did you find anything?" the blonde kunoichi asked in a whisper, so that the child didn't hear.

Shikamaru snorted with indignation.

"These people are completely useless" Shikamaru muttered. "They didn't even listen to me... they said that their job was to make sure that nobody was killed or robbed. They had no time to waste on lost kids. "

"Honestly…" Ino replied, irritated. "So... what do we do? Should we split up and ask if someone lost a son? "

Shikamaru crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, trying to find the best solution. Meanwhile, Choji continued to share his snack with the boy, who seemed more at ease.

"Why don't you take off your hood?" Choji suggested. "It's not raining inside."

"Okay..." the boy said, pulling the hood of his head.

Ino looked at the boy smiling but, gradually, her smile turned into an expression of disbelief and dismay. The kunoichi turned pale and let out a gasp.

"Hm? What is it, Ino?" Shikamaru asked, looking at her.

Shikamaru followed Ino's eyes. The moment his brown eyes stared at the boy's black and spiky hair, his bored expression vanished.

"Sasuke-kun..." the blonde gasped, never taking her eyes from the child sitting next to Choji.

Shikamaru blinked over and over again.

"That's impossible ..." the team genius said.

"I know... but…" Ino replied, not wanting to believe what she was seeing. "I enjoyed looking at Sasuke-kun ever since we were kids at the Academy... I memorized his face with accuracy... this boy is not just like him... he's exactly the same."

Choji apparently didn't realize anything and continued to share his chips with the raven boy. Meanwhile, Shikamaru's brain was racing. He didn't memorize Sasuke's features like Ino (he preferred not to imagine her fantasies!) but his memory remembered very well the old Konoha comrade who had turned traitor. How could he forget the person he was assigned to bring back in his first mission as a team leader? The mission that had almost cost his friends lives.

Obviously, Shikamaru tried to find a logical answer. The boy could just look a lot like Sasuke, he could be a double... but not even a double would be as identical. It could be a Henge, but that didn't make any sense unless some enemy was trying to distract them. There was also a chance the kid was the result of a jutsu, he had heard about jutsus the Akatsuki used to turn other ninjas into copies of their members... or worse, it could be the Edo Tensei and someone had resurrected Sasuke from the dead. But none of these assumptions made sense... if someone wanted to use Sasuke, why use his "child form"?

Finally... could that boy be really related to Sasuke? Could the Uchiha have a child before he died? Although this was amazing, it wasn't at all impossible. Sasuke wanted to restore his clan... he could have left descendants behind. However... how could a kid resemble his father that much?

Shikamaru focused in the child's small chakra reserves and his eyes widened with what he found. It was undeniable... Shikamaru could feel Sasuke's chakra signature in that child... but he also recognized Naruto's indistinguishable chakra too. The two chakras were combined and were inseparable from each other, like the chakra that a child inherits from their parents.

Shikamaru was certain of one thing, that boy was not an ordinary child and was related to both Sasuke and Naruto in some way. Team 10 had to find his parents and bring him to Konoha.

Slowly, Shikamaru grabbed a kunai that was in his pouch.

"You shouldn't do that" whispered a voice behind Shikamaru. Shortly afterwards, the ninja felt the metal tip of a kunai held against his back. "Stay quiet for a little while, Shikamaru."

The door opened and a figure, dressed in an orange raincoat and a hood, entered the room.

"So here you are!" the man said.

The boy looked at the man and his onyx eyes lit.

"Daddy!" the boy shouted, jumping from the bench and running to his father's open arms.

"You got me worried" the man said tenderly, embracing his son.

"I'm sorry, Papa… I got lost…" the boy replied, putting his small arms around his father's neck. "A man pushed me and I... I lost my ball ... you said I had to be careful not to lose the ball, so I went to pick it up ... but when I tried to come back... I got lost. I didn't know where you were... I tried to find you, but I didn't know where you were. "

The hooded man smiled and nodded slowly.

"It was my fault too" he said. "I shouldn't have left you alone."

With his son in his arms, the hooded man stared at the three ninjas with a smile.

"Thanks for taking care of him" the man said, his face hidden by the orange hood. "I'm very grateful."

"Oh! It was nothing! "Choji said, returning the smile. "Glad we could help."

"Ah..." Ino muttered, still taken aback at the incredible resemblance between the boy and Sasuke. "Yes... we were happy to help..."

Shikamaru frowned and remained tense. None of his teammates had noticed that someone was behind him with a kunai.

"Well... bye!" the mystery man said, moving to the door.

The boy looked up and waved with a happy and childlike smile.

"Bye-bye!" the little boy said, pulling back the hood over his head.

Choji and Ino waved him as father and son disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

Naruto moved quickly through the streets, holding the shopping bags with one hand and Sasuke with another. When he looked at the raven haired boy, he realized that the kid had fallen asleep on his shoulder, exhausted after all that distress.

The blond jinchūriki took the opportunity to jump onto the roofs and reached the building where they lived in a few minutes. After reaching their apartment, Naruto took off his and Sasuke's sandals and the two raincoats and headed to his bedroom, placing the sleeping boy in his bed and covering him with a blanket.

Sasuke mumbled something in his sleep and rolled over with a small hand fisted in the soft pillow. Naruto sat on the bed and stroked his back gently. As if by instinct, Sasuke moved near Naruto and leaned against his leg.

_"__You're growing up but you're still so little"_ the blond thought, feeling his heart full of love for that small yet so precious child .

Naruto could finally understand why his parents had jumped in front of the Nine-Tails to protect their baby.

Naruto never loved anyone like this before. And he certainly didn't expect to ever feel this kind of feelings for Sasuke of all people. Five years ago, he had been confused and scared of them, but now he recognized and accepted this new bond completely. What he felt was fatherly love for that child. _His child_.

He was his father. He was Sasuke's father and he didn't regret it one bit. For this very reason, Naruto would protect him. Whatever the cost.

* * *

Shikamaru looked away, trying to see the person's face behind him, although he knew perfectly well who he was.

"How long will you keep me still?" the ninja genius asked.

Ino and Choji turned and finally noticed the man behind their teammate.

"Shikamaru!" Choji yelled, ready to attack the intruder.

To Choji and Ino's shock, the man came out of the shadows, with a kunai still leaning against Shikamaru's back. He was the little's boy father who had just left.

"What do you think are you doing?" Shikamaru asked, softly but frowning. "Naruto?"

"Huh?" Choji gasped.

"What?" Ino squealed.

The hooded man smiled again.

"I knew you were gonna find out" he said, pulling his hood.

After five long years, Team 10 looked at Uzumaki Naruto. Everyone assumed he would look different, but nobody expected that the hyperactive blond teen that they knew so well would become a real adult man. Naruto's hair was longer, resembling the hairstyle of the Fourth Hokage, and his face became more defined. He also had grown taller; about four inches since the last time they saw him. However, his bright blue eyes were still the same, as the three whisker marks on both his sides.

Of all the members of Team 10, it was Ino who was more baffled. In her opinion, Naruto had been an ugly child and an average looking teenager. Next to Sasuke, he never stood up and his horrible orange jumpsuit didn't help improve his appearance. How could he have turned into that incredibly attractive young man in front of them?

"Naruto?" Ino asked, eyeing him from top to bottom. "Is that really you?"

"I don't believe it..." Choji mumbled.

Naruto took the kunai away from Shikamaru.

"You're a Kage Bunshin, right?" the genius asked.

Naruto nodded.

"Exactly" the clone said. "The real me was the one who left."

Shikamaru stared at the clone with an angry gaze, even if they attacked the clone, they could never make him speak or take him back to Konoha. The clone would simply vanish. Naruto was taking precautions... like what had happened in Nikko.

_**"Naruto worked very hard to escape"**_ Kakashi had said. _**"He didn't want to be caught or go back to Konoha. He is hiding something from us... something that I imagine to be so severe that he can't reveal it even to his closest friends. Something must have happened during his fight against Sasuke... it was since then that he began to flee." **_

"Naruto... what are you doing?" Shikamaru said firmly. "What are you hiding?"

Naruto stared at his comrade with an impassive look.

"Shikamaru... Don't meddle in this, please" the blond said.

"It's just like Kakashi-sensei said... you're running away from Konoha" Shikamaru replied, noticing that the Jinchuriki's eyes had widened slightly. "Answers, Naruto! Who's that boy? What is the connection between him and Sasuke?"

Choji and Ino gasped.

"He's the reason why you don't return to Konoha" Shikamaru understood, putting the pieces of this strange puzzle together. "He has Sasuke's chakra signature. So... who is he, Naruto? Is he Sasuke's son?"

Ino gasped again and took both hands to her mouth. Naruto closed his eyes.

"Is that true?" asked Ino. "That little boy... is he really Sasuke-kun's son?"

"The age fits" Shikamaru continued. "The resemblance is also unmistakable. The only thing I can't explain is why your chakra is also within him. Explain, Naruto… What really happened when you fought against Sasuke that night? Why is his son with you? "

Naruto stood with his eyes closed. He knew he would be discovered sooner or later by one or more of his old comrades. He had to be mentally prepared for that. But...

"You're wrong" the blond said.

Shikamaru blinked.

"What?"

Naruto opened his eyes and looked back at Shikamaru.

"He is not Sasuke's son" Naruto said, trying to keep his voice steady. "To my knowledge, he had no children."

It was Shikamaru's turn to be at a loss and not knowing what to think. If that child wasn't Sasuke's son, then who was he?

"Who is he, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked.

The blond took a deep breath, preparing for what he was about to face.

"Five years ago, his name was Uchiha Sasuke."

"What?" Shikamaru, Choji and Ino shouted loudly.

"Uchiha... Sasuke?" Choji repeated, completely dumbfounded.

"What are you talking about?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto put his hand into his pocket and pulled out an old paper, handing it to Shikamaru.

"_Clan Shiraha's Rebirth Technique_?" the young genius read.

"That was the kinjutsu used against Sasuke that night" Naruto said.

Shikamaru continued to read the details of the jutsu, increasingly widening his brown eyes as he read the procedures.

_With the accurate seal, t__he individual transfers chakra to the opponent... days, weeks, months or years are removed of the opponent's body and mind... the more chakra used, more time is removed from the rejuvenated opponent... younger body... loss of memories and cognitive faculties... possible loss of maturity should the opponent regress to his preteen years or less... rejuvenation to the moment of birth in extreme cases…_

"I don't believe this..." Shikamaru stammered. "This means...?"

Naruto nodded.

"Naruto... that boy ... he's Sasuke?"

"Yes, he is..." the blond replied.

"He can't be..." Choji mumbled.

Ino gasped again and her eyes filled with tears.

"Sasuke-kun... he's alive..." the blonde kunoichi moaned.

"How?" Shikamaru asked. "Why?"

And Naruto told them everything from the beginning, when Itachi put a little of his power within him, his fight and Sasuke's regression and his visit to the Shiraha clan, where he discovered that the jutsu was irreversible and incomplete.

"Incomplete?" asked Shikamaru, astonished by the whole story.

"The other half of the jutsu was to donate blood and chakra from the person who Sasuke chose to be his parent... it was an adoption jutsu. And he chose... me. "

"Naruto... you... did you complete the jutsu?" Ino said, although everyone already knew the answer.

"Yes" Naruto replied. "After that... I decided not to return to Konoha. It was too risky. "

Shikamaru gritted his teeth.

"Have you any idea what you did?" he muttered. "You ran away with an international criminal! You betrayed us! You told the Hokage that he had died! You lied and tricked your village! "

Frowning and with an angry glare, Naruto threw a scroll towards Shikamaru.

"What is this?" the genius asked.

"A paper signed by Baa-chan" the blond said unkindly. Shikamaru started reading, more and more astonished with every line. "According to that paper, Tsunade Baa-chan has known what happened to Sasuke for years and that he is alive and living with me. I didn't betray Konoha, the Hokage knows everything and approved what I've done. "

When Shikamaru saw Tsunade's signature, he could not believe it at first. Even more surprising, the stamp of Sunagakure and Gaara's signature were also in the paper.

"Gaara knows too?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yes... he was the first person I told everything. It was he who helped me find the Shiraha clan."

Finally, Shikamaru understood what had happened. He had told Temari about Naruto's ambush and she had told Gaara. That's why Naruto knew they were coming, the Kazekage had warned him.

"So... there you go, crystal clear! I didn't betray anyone, and Tsunade Baa-chan approved Sasuke's return to the village. "

Shikamaru couldn't stay calm. Naruto had hidden Sasuke, even if the raven didn't have any memories of his past and had the appearance of a child; Sasuke was and always would be a criminal. How could he go back to the village as if nothing had happened? There was no justice to those whose lives he had destroyed and crushed. He needed to pay for his crimes.

"He killed many people, Naruto" Shikamaru said with a cold and ruthless stare. "He betrayed Konoha for power, he betrayed us... he betrayed and tried to kill you, Sakura and Kakashi-sensei! He allied himself with the Akatsuki and tried to destroy the village and kill everyone! Then he went on murdering innocent villagers just to lure you. Did you forget all this? Did you forget what he is?"

"I didn't forget anything" Naruto replied, clenching his fists. "I know what he did very well. But Sasuke is different now... he's no longer the avenger he was in the past. "

"And when he discovers the truth about his past?" Shikamaru shot back. "It will all happen again. It may not be today or in ten years... but one day, Sasuke will attack Konoha again. He is a threat to the village Asuma died to protect!"

Naruto grabbed Shikamaru by the collar; his eyes filled with anger.

"Naruto!" Choji and Ino shouted at the same time.

"Don't you dare call my son a _threat!_" the blond growled.

Shikamaru blinked.

"_Son?_ Don't be ridiculous, Naruto" Shikamaru replied. "He's not your son! He's the result of a kinjutsu! He will go back to who he really is... he's a threat to the children… the next generation! And I won't let him destroy our village's future!"

Naruto's eyes were covered by his fringe, but the blonds' hand in Shikamaru's collar remained tight.

"You're like them..." Naruto said, trembling.

"Huh?"

"You're just like them... all the adults... When I was a kid, they all looked at me as if I shouldn't exist ... they could only see the Kyuubi when they looked at me" Naruto said. Shikamaru stood open-mouthed. "They only saw the monster that had killed so many people inside a human vessel... I was a threat. If the Yondaime's seal broke, the Kyuubi would be released and it... _I would destroy Konoha_."

"Naruto..." Shikamaru muttered. "Don't compare what happened to you with Sasuke. In the end, everyone recognized that you were your own person and not the Kyuubi, you never did anything wrong. But Sasuke is not like you! He did horrible things and he will do it again eventually!"

"Sasuke... he suffered so much. He was in so much pain that it drove him mad with grief" Naruto continued. "Itachi used this kinjutsu so he could have the chance to grow happy and have a family again. He is no longer the shinobi obsessed with revenge and power he was before. "

"Still, he is a very big risk!"

"Like any child born in the village" Naruto shot back, surprising Shikamaru. "The village's children... or children yet to be born... they all can become threats to Konoha! Not all will protect the village! All nuke-nins and criminals were children before. And Sasuke... I raised him! I adopted him and took him as my son! My blood runs in his veins now. More importantly, he _became_ my son. I'm his father, either you accepted it or not! And Sasuke will return to Konoha one day... he too belongs to the next generation."

* * *

**Okay… Shikamaru is being quite unforgiving here, but he took Asuma's promise very seriously. I must admit I based his reaction to the third Shippu****uden movie, when Naruto wants to prevent Kakashi from sacrificing his life to save Konoha. I'm trying to keep him in character… I hope.**

**I also assume that, since Kage Bushins have the original's clothes, they should also have other belongings like wallet or documents.**

**Also (to those who didn't read it on Raven's Fall) ****the poll for the next side-story is closed. The winner is: **_**Uzumaki Sasuke goes back in time, to when team 7 was formed, by accident (time travel story) **_**by 64%.**

**See ya next time!**


	35. Announcement

**Huff… This chapter was hard to write. ****Mostly because there were times when I just looked at the computer screen, not knowing what to write. I had to deal with very delicate subjects about the series, some of which are just my interpretation, they may not be Kishimoto sensei's views at all so be warned.**

**I hope it turned out ok.**

* * *

**Announcement**

お知らせ (_Oshirase_)

Naruto turned away from the bed and sat in a chair by his bedroom window, watching the rain fall on the city. Sasuke continued to sleep in his bed, too tired to even think about lunch.

Naruto stared at the wet streets and buildings, wondering what Shikamaru, Ino, Choji and his clone would be talking about.

_"Nothing that I __wouldn't say in person"_ the blond thought. The only thing he could do was waiting until his clone was done speaking with them and then he would know what to do next. _"I've never been a planning person... I've always acted in the moment. I have to wait and see what happens."_

* * *

Shikamaru was baffled. Naruto's attitude, his words, his feelings for Sasuke... it was all genuine. Naruto had always been an emotional person, someone whose heart guided his actions. And everything related to Sasuke, the blond would always protect him and consider him his most precious friend.

None of this surprised Shikamaru... What was truly amazed him was how Naruto was protecting Sasuke. The blond spoke of the Uchiha with the same affection that a father or a mother speaks of their children.

"Naruto... calm down!" Ino said, upset about the whole situation.

Naruto released Shikamaru's collar and stared at him again.

"What would you do, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked. "If you had been in my place... what would you have done? Would you kill a newborn baby because he could turn out to be dangerous in the future? "

Shikamaru didn't answer. A drop of sweat trickled down his cheek.

"I know what Sasuke did in the past was very wrong" continued Naruto. "I saw my best friend, my rival, the person I loved like a brother become crazy and obsessed with revenge. He was ruthless and uncaring... destroying everything and everyone who stood in his way. When I went to him that night, I intended to kill him... I swore I would defeat him and protect Konoha... but would also bear his hatred and die with him as a friend. When Itachi used that jutsu, _**that**_ Sasuke vanished. Sure... he's still Sasuke... but all his anger and hatred disappeared. On the one hand, Sasuke had a new opportunity to live, but in return he lost all of his old life. All memories, maturity, intelligence... the power he so wanted, all gone. For Sasuke... this is a punishment worse than death. "

"Naruto..." Shikamaru muttered, trying to keep a cool and logical head. "Even though Sasuke has lost his memory, even if he is a helpless child... that doesn't erase the past... or all the crimes he committed."

Naruto's blue eyes softened.

"Then judge the Sasuke in front of you" the blond said. "Judge him for what he is, not for what he was. Because, Shikamaru... the person you want to punish ... no longer exists. "

All members of Team 10 blinked, unsure what to think or say. So Naruto continued.

"Very few people know what really happened to Sasuke" the blond Jinchuriki revealed. "The only way to save him was to declare him dead. The truth about Sasuke is an S-Class secret. "

Shikamaru sighed. If the Godaime had declared that the information that Sasuke was alive was an S-Class secret, the highest degree of secrecy, they were forbidden by law to reveal it. And if the Hokage had decided to accept Sasuke back to Konoha, there was nothing he could do. The decision had been made and it was an order from the Hokage.

"We have no choice, right?" Shikamaru said. "If the Hokage decreed this order, we can't do anything to counter it."

Naruto looked at his comrades with a sad expression. That was exactly the reaction he feared... that Sasuke would never be accepted back into the village again and be rejected. With his blue eyes filled with determination, Naruto headed for the door.

"Follow me" the blond said, surprising Team 10.

"Where are we going?" Choji asked.

Naruto smiled and left the building, the members of Team Asuma followed.

"To my house" the Kage Bunshin said.

* * *

The clone disappeared when they reached the eleventh floor. Inside the apartment, Naruto blinked, left his bedroom, went to the front door and opened it.

"Hi" the blond greeted, looking at his old wet and panting friends in the hallway. "Come in!"

Shikamaru, Choji and Ino slowly entered the apartment, removing their sandals and wet raincoats. Without saying a word, they followed Naruto into the small but cozy kitchen and sat at the square table.

Choji gladly accepted the tea and cakes that Naruto gave them. Ino and Shikamaru simply accepted a cup of hot green tea, warming their cold hands.

While Shikamaru was thinking, Ino still couldn't believe what was happening. It all seemed a very strange dream... She just wanted to do as much shopping as possible in the city that she had wanted to visit for ages, but they ended up discovering more new information in an hour than in recent years. Sasuke was alive, Naruto had become a hunk, the Hokage knew everything ... It looked like something out of an alternate universe.

Shikamaru just drank his tea and stared at Naruto. He had to admit that what the blond had said was true. Any child could be a future threat to the village, but Shikamaru would rather not even think of that possibility. Children represented innocence and the future... he didn't want to believe that some of them would grow to become criminals. Naruto said that Sasuke was part of the future generation, but Shikamaru didn't feel as convinced. There had always been darkness in Sasuke... All ninjas want to be stronger, but Sasuke was obsessed with power. Over the years, Shikamaru learned to use the power he had to protect what he loved, while Sasuke was only interested in destroying and causing pain. Even if he had been "reborn", would he really be different this time around?

"Who else knows about what happened?" Shikamaru asked. He needed answers, facts... only then he would be able to handle this situation.

Naruto sighed before answering.

"The toads that I summon on Mount Myōboku, including Fukasaku Jii-chan and Shima Baa-chan" the Jinchuriki revealed. "I told Gaara first, then Tsunade Baa-chan... A few months ago, Shizune Nee-chan and Iruka-sensei found out..."

"Ah? Iruka-sensei knew? "Shikamaru asked, genuinely surprised.

"Yes... he and Shizune Nee-chan found a positive paternity test between me and Sasuke in Baa-chan's office. It was... complicated... "

"A positive paternity test? What do you mean, Naruto?" Ino asked.

"I said that my blood runs in his veins" said Naruto. "He also received my chakra, so it's possible he will have some of my skills in the future. After all... he's my son!"

Ino didn't know what to feel about this whole thing. She had to admit, she had been happy to know that Sasuke was alive but she didn't know what to think about the fact that he was now a little boy, seventeen years younger than her and not the fascinating and cool guy with whom she felt attracted for so many years.

If she felt that way... how would Sakura react?

"Oh, my God! Sakura" Ino said.

Naruto looked at her with his eyes wide with amazement and slightly scared.

"Sakura-chan? What's wrong with her?" Naruto asked. "Is she okay? Something happened to her? "

"No! It's nothing like that..." Ino answered quickly. "She came with us for the mission. We got separate not so long ago... She is taking a ship to go back to Konoha. If we hurry we can still catch her in time! She has to know this! She has to know that Sasuke-kun... "

"No" Naruto said vehemently. Ino blinked, confused.

"No? Naruto... this is very important! Sakura has to know that Sasuke-kun is alive. She won't tell anyone the secret, so..."

"It's not because of the secret" Naruto interrupted, staring at his hands with a sad expression.

"Then why?" Ino insisted. "Why don't you want Sakura to know? She was devastated when the two of you disappeared. If she knows the truth, she'll be better. "

"No, she won't" said Naruto.

Naruto still remembered perfectly the day he realized that Sakura really loved Sasuke. When Itachi trapped Sasuke in a genjutsu, the raven had been in a coma. Naruto brought Tsunade to the hospital in Konoha, where Sakura had visited Sasuke every day, staying at his bedside. When Sasuke finally woke up, Sakura hugged him, crying. Naruto tried to say something to the Uchiha, but saw Sakura's genuine relief and her tears of happiness that the person she loved most was back. So Naruto became quiet and smiled sadly before leaving the hospital room, leaving the two teammates alone.

Naruto also never forgot when Sasuke left to join Orochimaru. After Shikamaru had joined the team to bring him back and announced the strategy they would use, Sakura appeared.

* * *

_"Wait!"_

_All ninjas looked at Sakura, who looked more dejected than ever. Her green eyes were sad and empty, her shoulders down as a sign of helplessness._

_"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, confused by her being there._

_"The Hokage-sama has told me everything" Shikamaru said. "Sorry, but I can't take you to the mission. Not even you were able to convince Sasuke, right?"_

_Naruto's eyes widened in amazement. He didn't know that Sakura had spoken with Sasuke before... he had no idea._

_"Now the only way is to bring him back by force" Shikamaru continued. "Sakura... you've done your part."_

_Sakura looked down._

_"That means... Sakura-chan talked with Sasuke?__" Naruto asked._

_Sakura's shoulders began to shake and the kunoichi started to cry softly._

_"Naruto__..." she sobbed, her voice trembling with sorrow and despair. "This is the only favor I will ever ask of you...Bring...Bring Sasuke-kun back."_

_Naruto continued to stare at __her carefully, understanding the fullness of her grief._

_"I couldn__'t convince him" Sakura continued. "I couldn't stop him. I'm sure the only person who can stop him...I'm sure the only person who can save him is... __Naruto...only you!__"_

_Naruto smiled sadly, staring at the ground momentarily before looking at Sakura, smiling as much as he could._

"_You really love him, huh?"_

_Sakura opened her watery eyes._

"_I understand very well the pain you are going through..." Naruto said. _

_Sakura finally looked her blond teammate and began to cry harder, hugging herself._

_"Naruto... Thank you__..." she said through her tears._

"_I will bring Sasuke back for sure!" Naruto said. "This is the promise of a lifetime!"_

* * *

In the end, Sakura had wanted to convince him to give up his promise and tried to kill Sasuke on her own. But she wasn't able to go through with it.

It had been hard for Naruto to fight Sasuke and accept that they would never be a team again. When Sasuke was reborn and all his old memories were erased, Naruto had felt devastated in the beginning... he felt as if the Sasuke he had known had died. Eventually, Naruto accepted the new bonds created with this Sasuke and accepted the little raven who was born five years ago. Instead of focusing on what he lost, Naruto appreciated and accepted what Sasuke had become.

But Sakura... Sakura loved Sasuke. The cool and moody Sasuke they knew from the Academy. Iruka had told him that Sakura had finally decided to move on and stop thinking about the past. If she found out that Sasuke was alive... it would bring all those feelings back again.

"Sakura-chan can't know that Sasuke is alive" said Naruto. "At least, not yet..."

"But Naruto..." Ino continued.

"Sakura-chan loved Sasuke… she loved him so much. If she finds out that Sasuke isn't dead, she will only suffer more, because this Sasuke is not the Sasuke that she loved, and will never be. He won't return her feelings... and knowing this is painful. Sakura-chan has moved on with her life ... I don't want her to suffer. "

"She will find out the truth sooner or later, Naruto" Ino said. "Don't you think it would be better to tell her the truth now?"

"Sasuke can't be what she wants him to be" Naruto said. "And I'm not just trying to protect Sakura-chan... I also want to protect Sasuke. He doesn't know anything about his past... he's still too young to understand. All he knows is that his brother turned him into a baby to save his life. I didn't tell him anything more. "

Choji wiped his mouth with a napkin before looking at Naruto.

"Naruto... I don't understand ... Why don't you tell Sasuke that he was your teammate? Why didn't you speak to him about Sakura and Kakashi-sensei? It makes no sense... you could tell him all the good memories and have your best friend back. "

Naruto shook his head.

"Because that isn't what Sasuke needs. It's unfair to him. He has the right to grow up and be his own person, it's wrong to force him to be the Sasuke we all remember" Naruto said. "He has the right to be who he is. It was hard for me at first when I discovered that his memories wouldn't go back and I was terrified when I learned that he loved me like a father."

Shikamaru blinked.

"He loves you... as if you were his father?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto smiled softly.

"You think I was exaggerating when he said that he is my son now, Shikamaru? I couldn't be talking more seriously. I know that may seem strange and impossible to understand... but he _**is**_ my son now. The feelings are real" Naruto looked at the rain beating against the window. "During the months that we lived together, Sasuke began to see me his father. It was hard to accept these feelings, but I realized that I felt the same way. So I became in his Tou-chan. When he's older, I intend to tell him everything, but for now, I'll let Sasuke be who he is and not _"shape"_ him into the person I knew. That's why I don't want Sakura-chan to see him yet... Not only to protect her, but also so Sasuke won't suffer or feel pressured to be someone he doesn't remember. When he is old enough to decide what to do with the information about his past, it will be his decision. "

Team 10 just looked at Naruto's smiling face, wondering how he had become so mature.

* * *

When Sasuke opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the sound of pouring rain. Rubbing his eyes, the boy sat up in bed and yawned. With a quick glance, he realized that he was in Naruto's room. He must have fallen asleep while they were returning home.

With his stomach rumbling from hunger, Sasuke jumped up and ran down the hall towards the kitchen. At the sound of voices, the child stood in the doorjamb. Curious, Sasuke peered into the kitchen and stared in amazement when he saw the two gentlemen and the lady who had helped him in the mall sitting at the kitchen table with his father.

"And when are you thinking about returning to Konoha, Naruto?" asked the mister with black hair stuck in a ponytail.

"I'm still not sure" Naruto said, shrugging.

Sasuke blinked, surprised. Those people knew his Daddy?

The mister with the ponytail opened his mouth to speak but Naruto raised a hand in the air and silenced him.

"It's very rude to eavesdrop" said Naruto. "Right, Sasuke?"

Surprised and a little embarrassed at being caught, Sasuke slowly walked into the kitchen, trying not to look at the curious faces of the three strangers. Naruto, however, merely laughed.

"Are you hungry now?" the blond asked.

"Huh-huh" Sasuke nodded, heading to his dad's chair, because all the other seats were already taken, and sat comfortably on his lap.

Sasuke didn't notice the surprised looks from Team 10 and looked covertly at the cake that was on the table.

"Can I eat some?" the boy asked.

"Of course, sleepyhead" Naruto playfully said, cutting a slice of cake. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah" Sasuke said, picking up a slice and began eating. After a few bites, the little raven finally had the courage to greet the visitors. "Hi, again."

"Ah... Hi" Ino said, still a little uncomfortable. It was so weird to see Sasuke sitting on Naruto lap, eating cake. It was even weirder to see how both were so comfortable with each other... like a son and a father.

"Tou-chan? Are they your friends?" Sasuke asked, looking at Naruto.

"Yes... when we were little, we were all in the same class with Iruka-sensei. They're Choji, Ino and Shikamaru" Naruto said, wiping the crumbs of Sasuke's cheek.

"Oh! And what is _Konoha_?" the child asked.

"Huh?"

"You were talking about going back to Konoha... what is it?"

Naruto exchanged a look with Team 10 before responding.

"Konoha is our hometown" the blond said, with a nostalgic smile. "It's a very nice place. We grew up there. That's where Tsunade Baa-chan, Shizune Nee-chan and Iruka-sensei live."

Sasuke's pale hand grabbed Naruto's shirt.

"And we are going to live there too?" the boy asked.

"Someday" Naruto said. "But I'll probably need to buy a new house. My apartment is a bit small for both of us. "

"Really? We'll have our own home? Just for us?" Sasuke asked, excited. He had never lived in a house that was all theirs before. They always had to rent houses or apartments. "I can choose one? I want a house with very large bedroom!"

Naruto stroked his hair.

"We'll see when we get there, okay?" Naruto said.

Shikamaru, Choji and Ino couldn't believe that that boy was the same Sasuke with whom they had graduated and fought in the war. He seemed like a normal child... he was even friendly and cheerful.

Blinking, Sasuke jumped from Naruto's lap.

"Where are you going?" Naruto asked.

"I'll right be back" said the raven, looking at three guests. "Don't go away, okay?"

Everyone looked at each other when Sasuke left the room. A minute later, the raven returned with three small colored bags. Naruto blinked as he recognized what Sasuke was holding.

"Sasuke? Is that the candy that you won in the games fair?"

Sasuke nodded and turned to Choji, offering him one of the bags.

"Thanks for letting me eat your chips" Sasuke said, one hand outstretched with the bag of candy. "It's for you."

Choji gasped and looked at Ino and Shikamaru, not knowing what to do.

"Sa-Sasuke... thank you... but... you don't need to give me anything" Choji stammered.

But Sasuke continued stretching the bag of candy in his direction.

"But I want to give you candy" the little boy insisted, smiling slightly. "You were nice to me."

Slowly, Choji took the bag of sweets, feeling unable to say no.

"Thanks..." said the young Akimichi.

Then Sasuke turned to Ino.

"These are for you" the boy said.

Ino took the bag of candy, with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun..."

Finally, Sasuke offered Shikamaru the last bag, but the young genius was so perplexed by Sasuke's behavior that he didn't even react.

Sasuke's smile died on his lips. That mister was looking at him in a weird way... he was very serious. Gaara-san was also serious, but he never looked at him like that.

"Shikamaru-san?" Sasuke asked. "These are for you."

Shikamaru blinked and, very slowly, took the colored plastic bag.

"Oh... Thanks..." Shikamaru muttered, without taking his eyes off Sasuke. How could this kid and the arrogant and cold ninja that he knew be the same person? "Call me Shikamaru..." he said without thinking. "The _-san_ suffix makes me feel old."

Sasuke looked at him confused but nodded.

"Okay... Shikamaru..."

"You can also only call me Ino!" the blonde kunoichi said, smiling slightly.

"I also just want you to call me Choji" said the young Akimichi, who had already opened the bag and ate some candy.

Sasuke wasn't used to treat adults by their first name. And those misters and lady were the same age as his Daddy... But he nodded anyway.

Naruto couldn't help but smiling, before that scene.

"Sasuke? Why don't you show them your room?" the blond suggested.

"Okay" Sasuke walked to the door. "It's here."

The four shinobi stood up and went to Sasuke's room. It was messy, with a huge castle built with wooden blocks right on the floor.

"Wow!" Choji said truly impressed with the toy castle. "This is really awesome."

"Did you build the castle alone, Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked.

Sasuke knelt beside the castle.

"My Papa helped me build it, but I got to decide that the castle would have three towers. Right, Papa?"

"Yes" Naruto said, leaning against the doorjamb with Shikamaru.

"I'm to be a ninja when I grow up" Sasuke said with pride. "That's why I have these kunai and shuriken to play and all these books about ninjas" the boy pointed to a shelf full of books and mangas. "I'll be a very strong and cool ninja. That's what Daddy said. "

"That's true" Naruto confirmed, making Sasuke swell with pride. "But before you're a ninja, you must be a clean boy. Go and wash your face... is full of crumbs. "

"But Tou-chan..."

"Then you can go play" said Naruto. "Go wash your face, quick. I'll tell you how many seconds you took. A ninja must be quick. "

Obviously enthusiastic about the idea of a race, Sasuke left the room running.

Shikamaru stared at Naruto intently. Sasuke could have changed, but Naruto had too. The blond had become a parent to the bone. A true father.

"It can't be helped" Shikamaru said, surprising Naruto.

"What?"

"Naruto... We'll leave Sasuke in your hands" the young Nara said. "I sincerely hope that you know what you're doing."

Slowly, Naruto's expression of surprise was replaced by a grin.

"Right" Naruto said, as a flash shot. "What the... Ino? What is that? "

Ino giggled, holding a small black object.

"It's a camera that I bought when we got to town" explained the kunoichi.

"Ah... and why did take my picture for?" Naruto asked.

"Oh... Just a souvenir. Besides, the rest of the guys in Konoha wouldn't believe me. We... ah? Can we tell them that we saw you? We promise we won't say anything about Sasuke-kun... but the others are worried about you. "

"She's right, Naruto" Shikamaru spoke. "Nobody bought the story that you're just traveling. Kakashi-sensei is sure that you are hiding and running away from Konoha. The others think you might be in a big trouble. They're all very worried... especially Sakura. She misses you. "

Naruto sighed and ran his hand across his forehead and his blond hair. He didn't mean to worry anyone... that wasn't his intention. And he knew that the more worried and suspicious his comrades were, the higher the chances of them going after him again.

"Okay..." Naruto said. "I think I made you guys worry for too long... you can tell them that you saw me in Hankagai, but I warn you that I won't stay here much longer."

Shikamaru nodded.

"They'll want more answers Naruto. They won't be happy with just that" Shikamaru said. "What do you want us to say to them?"

Naruto stared the Team 10 with a resolute expression. It was time to reveal some truths.

"Tell them I'm a father now" said Naruto. "I am a single father who wants to travel with his son for a while before returning to Konoha. If I were in the village, I would have to go on missions all the time, and I don't want to leave my child alone while he is still so young. I want to spend as much time with him as possible. "

Ino's eyes widened.

"Naruto! They're going to freak out! Are you sure?"

"Yes... It's the truth ... at least a part of it."

Panting, Sasuke returned.

"Done!" the child cried joyfully, showing his flushed face to his father. "I was fast?"

"Hm... Not bad, I'm impressed" said Naruto.

Sasuke laughed and went back to his toys, teaching Choji and Ino where the he built the secret passages.

* * *

An hour later, Team 10 was ready to leave. Carefully so Sasuke wouldn't hear, Naruto taught them how to communicate through his frogs, as he did with Tsunade. However, before leaving, Ino seemed anxious.

"Wait a second, Naruto" she said. "I said I'd keep quiet about Sasuke-kun, but I need something in return."

All the boys looked at her not knowing what she was talking about.

"What do you want, Ino?" Naruto asked. "You want me to pay you to keep the secret? I never thought you were not so greedy."

Ino frowned, offended.

"It's nothing like that! I don't want money. All I want is to make an old childhood dream come true."

"A childhood dream?" Naruto repeated, looking at Choji and Shikamaru for answers, but they seemed as confused as he was.

Laughing, Ino went to Sasuke's room, followed by the three ninjas.

"Sasuke-kun" the kunoichi said. "We leaving now, but we promise that we'll visit again, okay?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Okay, Ino."

Ino knelt beside Sasuke, took his little face in her hands and kissed him on the mouth, leaving Naruto, Shikamaru and Choji flabbergasted.

"INO!" the three cried at the same time.

Ino walked away from Sasuke with a huge smile of pleasure on her lips.

"Goodbye, Sasuke-kun" the blonde kunoichi said. "Thanks for the goodbye kiss."

Sasuke's expression changed from bewilderment, to confusion and finally to frightened. The boy ran crying to his dad's arms, while Naruto glared at Ino, who was still smiling with happiness.

* * *

_Five days later_

After they returned to Konoha (and unpacked a ton of Ino's shopping bags), Team 10 asked the Konoha 11 members, Kakashi, Guy, Sai, Yamato and Kurenai to meet with them in a discreet place, because they had an important announcement to do.

Shikamaru had already spoken to Tsunade about what had happened in Hankagai, and the Hokage had also received a letter from Naruto, explaining everything. Tsunade recalled Shikamaru the importance of maintaining Sasuke's existence secret. Not only to protect the child, but also to protect Konoha from the other nations who would be furious to discover that the Hokage had lied, threatening the village's peace.

The group of young ninja and their sensei met in a vacant tower in the center of the Forest of Death, as far from prying ears as possible. Everyone seemed curious and suspicious of all that secrecy, especially Sakura, who had been with Team 10 for most of the time while they were in their mission.

"Is everyone here?" Shikamaru asked, with his hands in his pockets and a serious expression on his face.

"Yes" Neji said, leaning against a wall.

"Are you sure that no one is listening or watching?" Ino asked.

"For sure" said Yamato.

"No one is listening" said Kakashi. "So? What do you want to say? "

Shikamaru exchanged glances with his team-mates, who nodded before he spoke.

"We found Naruto in Hankagai" Shikamaru revealed.

All eyes widened and the old hall was filled with murmurs and questions.

"You found Naruto?" Sai asked.

"How did you find him?" Sakura asked, completely astonished. "I was also there!"

"It was just a coincidence" Shikamaru said. "He was spending a few days in town and we found him at the mall."

"And you didn't convince him to come back to Konoha?" asked Lee

"Naruto made his decision" Shikamaru said, unmoved. "He will return to Konoha when he's ready."

"You mean you didn't even fight to bring him back?" Sakura asked, angry with herself and Team 10. If she had stayed, she could have found Naruto.

"It's not that simple" Shikamaru continued. "Naruto has his reasons for not coming back."

Kakashi unfolded his arms.

"And what are these reasons, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru looked closely at Kakashi, he could not let his voice or his facial expression betrayed him.

"Naruto is a father now."

For a few seconds, nobody said anything. When the impact of the information was understood, the hall echoed with cries of shock.

"WHAT?"

Kakashi and Yamato had their eyes so wide that they almost went out of their sockets. Sakura's jaw had completely fallen.

"Ah… So he does have balls after all" Sai said, receiving a punch in the face from Sakura.

"Shut the hell up about that, Sai!" the pink haired kunoichi cried, facing Team 10 again. "Are you sure? How...? "

"It's true" Ino spoke. "And his son is so cute and so sweet!"

"_S-son_?" Sakura stammered.

Hinata was so red that Kiba and Shino had to grab her so she wouldn't fall, while Kurenai laughed. Guy and his team were stunned, but Guy was quick to congratulate Naruto.

"Nice, Naruto!" Guy shouted. "That's the way to celebrate youth. Congratulations, Kakashi!"

"Ah…" Kakashi whimpered, pale as a sheet.

"Naruto-kun is amazing!" Lee exclaimed. "He's already creating the new generation who will take our places. I can't lose to him. I must…"

Tenten smacked Lee on the head and the young man flew across the hall.

"Stop saying nonsense, Lee!" she yelled.

"But... does that mean... Naruto got married?" Sakura asked, not wanting to believe it.

"Well no..." Ino said. "We didn't ask him about his private life... but we know he is raising his child alone. He said he wanted to be with him as long as possible and, if he was in Konoha, he would always be on missions. That's why he decided to stay outside the village while the kid is young. "

Ino took a picture of her pocket and asked Sakura, Hinata, Tenten and Kurenai to come closer.

"Look. I took Naruto's picture! "

When the four young women looked at Naruto's photo, they were literally jaw dropping.

"Wow!" Tenten said. "Is this Naruto? Cute!"

"Not bad" Kurenai said with a smile. "He has become a very attractive man."

Sakura was too stunned to speak. How could Naruto... _**the**_ Naruto, grow up like that? Damn! He was so hot now. He was as hot as Sasuke-kun!

Something fell on to the ground with a thump.

"Ah… I would someone help Hinata out?" Ino asked.

* * *

**Sorry Hinata fans… That's how I imagine Hinata would react if Naruto suddenly became very hot. I know that's most likely how she would react in Part I or the beginning of Part II and she probably will become less shy as time goes by. **

**As for Sasuke, he's a bit OOC now because he's just 5 years old but, like I said in chapter 1, I'll try to keep him in character, which will start to happen as he gets a little older (with some differences due to his new upbringing of course). I don't intent to change Sasuke into a completely different character... you'll see.**

**So… Konoha 11 found out… kind of. A new arc is about to begin, I already have a few ideas but I need to think them through before I start writing. **

**Well… see ya soon. I hope you liked the chapter!**


	36. Lurking in Darkness

**Hi! And welcome to this new arc. I've decided to call it _Revenge Arc_. I'm a big fan of crime/mystery novels, movies and series, so I wanted to try my luck and make one of my own. It's my ****very first try, so be kind to me ^_^**

**PS: It's been six months since Naruto talked with Team 10. So, Sasuke is now 6 years old and Naruto is about to turn 23.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Lurking in Darkness**

闇に潜んでいる _(Yami ni hisonde iru)_

_September 3__rd__, six months later_

_The woman was still drugged, __lying on the beautiful bed she had shared with her husband for the past eight years. They would never sleep in that bed together again._

_Her hands were soaking with blood, as well as her face, hair, feet and clothing. The blood wasn't hers... it belonged to her two sons and her husband. They all had their throat slashed by the small knife, carefully placed on top of the nightstand, with her fingerprints on it._

_I had everything planed out, of course. _

_Saya opened __her stupid brown eyes and stared at me, the person who killed her family. I could tell that she still couldn't move her arms or legs. The drug was too strong, so she could only sob and moan miserably._

_"Why?" s__he asked with tears running down her face smeared with blood._

"_You __shouldn't have gotten in my way" I said, with annoyed grimace. "You were always so stupid, Saya. You never knew when to shut fuck up. I won't let you ruin everything, you hear me?"_

_"My __boys... my husband..."_

_"Dead. All dead. But don't worry__... you'll be with them soon."_

_Saya's head felt heavy, it was almost impossible to think. Still, she managed to realize the gravity of the situation she was in and the horror that had occurred._

_"You and your husband have been fighting recently, right? No wonder... everyone in the village saw you cheating on him right in the middle of the square. "_

_"No... not me..." Saya groaned, unable to avoid the tears. "I would never…"_

_"Of course it wasn't you, stupid bitch. It's called Henge no Jutsu... I turned into you. I learned a lot of new stuff, huh? The thing is… everyone will think that your fight with your husband went too far. Mad with despair, you killed him and then you killed your children. Since you don't have any reason to live anymore, you killed yourself in the end."_

_Saya tried to escape but she couldn't resist the glass of water mixed with poison that was forced into her mouth. The young woman's body winced a few times before her eyes turned glassy and dead. My gloved hands grabbed Saya delicate hands and put them around the cup, leaving there her bloody fingerprints._

_Everything __had gone as planned. The only thing I had to do was to get rid of these dirty clothes and clean the few footprints I left. It wasn't the first time I killed, nor would it be the last. It was a feeling of power, control and pleasure that I had never felt before. I was exhilarated. _

_Soon, __this damn village would disappear from the map with screams. All those brainless villagers will feel my wrath. They will pay for my grief and despair. I will have my revenge._

* * *

_September 4__th__, the day after_

Sasuke's onyx eyes lit up with joy and excitement when Princess Fūun escaped a deadly jutsu and defeated her mortal enemy, the evil Mao.

The small theater was filled with people of all ages. It wasn't every day that a film with the famous actress Fujikaze Yukie premiered in the small Maruki village. The older spectators couldn't believe that such a beautiful and talented actress was also the Daimyo of the Land of Spring, Kazahana Koyuki. The youngest, however, only wanted to know how the movie was going to end, indifferent to the private lives of the actors and actresses.

Sasuke had come to see the premiere of new film with six other children who lived in his neighborhood. The older sister of one of his classmates, a moody teenager named Mami, sat with her arms crossed over her flat chest, sulking. Her mother had made her bring her younger brother and the neighborhood kids to the movies against her will, like she had no other plans or a social life of her own. Mami would have preferred to see the romantic movie that was in the next room or go out with her friends. But her mother had told her that she spent more time her friends than with her own family. She called her mother old-fashioned and BOOM. She had been punished to learn to have respect for her elders. Now, she had to spend all day with a bunch of snotty kids and watch some dumb movie about dumb ninjas.

Sitting in his seat, Sasuke didn't care for Mami's bad-temper. The film was so amazing! It had ninjas, adventure, danger and chakra. It was exactly the life he wanted to live when he was a real ninja as well.

When the movie ended, the children left the theater talking excitedly. As they walked the village's streets, the boys grabbed some sticks and pretended to be fighting with swords.

Before going home, they stopped at the candy store and kept talking about the movie.

Has he had recently celebrated his sixth birthday, Sasuke was proud to be one of the _"big kids"_, which meant he could go alone to school as long as he went with the other kids from the neighborhood where he lived.

Maruki was a village dedicated to its diamond mines and Timber Industry. Those who didn't work in the mines, were lumberjacks who spent all day cutting large trees, carrying heavy logs to build new dams and export wood. The village was located in the middle of a mountain, surrounded by giant trees, rivers and waterfalls. Fifty years ago, the village had been a small cluster of modest homes, but the founders turned it into a reference point in world trade.

As they ate their candy, the children continued to report what they saw in the movie.

"Princess Fūun is so cool and strong" Junko said. "I wanna be just like her!"

"Yeah! She's really cool! Did you see how she threw Mao flying against the tower? This time he's really dead!" Kyoshiro exclaimed.

"Mao never dies. He always comes back in the next film" Chie said.

"Even if he comes back, Fūun-hime will beat him again" said Noriaki. "She has the power of the seven colored chakra. Nobody wins that chakra. "

"But that chakra is not real" said Sasuke.

"Huh? And how do you know that, Sasuke?" Shinya asked.

"Each person has a different chakra" the raven explained. "A person can't have chakra of different colors. I saw it in a book. "

"Wow, Sasuke-kun! You know a lot!" Chie said, blushing.

Shinya pouted.

"Pff... Just because it not in the books, that doesn't mean it's not real!" Shinya said.

"It's true."

The children turned back and smiled, especially Shinya. One of the maids of the candy store approached them with a tray full of sweets and fresh juices.

"Akane Nee-chan!" Shinya said, not hiding the huge crush he had for her.

Himura Akane was a delicate and pretty young woman. She had long black hair, white perfect skin and sweet and soft violet eyes. She wore the shop's purple kimono, simple but elegant.

"I heard that Princess Fūun's new film premiered" Akane said with a gentle smile. "You liked it?"

"Yes" the children answered in unison.

"I wish I could have gone to see it" Akane sighed. "Fujikaze Yukie is a very good actress and very beautiful."

"You're a thousand times prettier than her, Akane Nee-chan" Shinya said, blushing when Akane smiled.

"Really? You're very kind, Shinya-kun... a true gentleman" Akane replied, handing out the sweets.

"Akane!" Tama, the old shop owner, called. "You have other customers waiting. Stop wasting time and move that skinny ass!"

Laughing, Akane returned to work.

"I'm going to marry her!" Shinya announced.

"Don't be stupid! She's like… old!" Junko answered.

"No she's not! And she's real pretty! I'm gonna make her my girlfriend!"

"Ah! Ah! As if!"

After they finished eating (and Mami paid the bill with a grimace of anger), the children ran down the streets of the village and forced their "nanny" to let them visit the timbers who were working near the forest.

Many of the children's relatives were loggers, woodcutters and blacksmiths who worked there. Therefore, the kids were received with lightheartedness.

As usual, when they were on a break, the woodcutters decided to make some friendly spars between them, not only to have a reason to bet but also to state their male ego. Most loggers were as large as the logs they carried, so the fights were always interesting.

The men let the children sit beside them and watch the fights, shouting and betting on who would win. The battles were long and they often ended up with one of the fighters pushed outside the improvised ring. Of course everything changed when Kaito was called to fight.

Although he had been in Maruki for only two months, Sasuke knew perfectly well who Ishida Kaito was. He had come to the village three years ago and requested a job as a lumberjack. He was muscular, but not as much as the other lumberjacks of the village. They had made fun of him, and said he wouldn't last a week at work. He proved them wrong.

When Kaito entered the ring, he avoided a punch and a kick from his opponent. With three well-aimed blows, Kaito threw the other man out of the ring. The crowd screamed in excitement, including Sasuke. There were rumors that Kaito was a samurai who decided to change his way of living, or even a rogue ninja.

In Sasuke's head, Kaito represented the perfect ninja: strong, calm, cool and bright. Like the other children, the little raven cheered his hero.

* * *

Naruto was walking home after a hard day of training. He had found a perfect cave to work out, right behind a waterfall, where he could train without being interrupted or hurt someone unintentionally.

He soon reached the village, but had to hurry if he wanted to get home before Sasuke. It had been six months since he had spoken with Team 10. Now, all his comrades and teachers knew he had a young child of his own in his care.

_"Good thing I wasn'__t there when they told them"_ the blond thought. _"I don't want to imagine Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei reactions... Sakura-chan would probably beat me into a pulp."_

Naruto stopped when he saw a huge crowd around a small house. Curious, the blond moved towards the crowd and asked a woman what was going on.

"It's horrible" said a tearful woman. "Saya killed herself..."

"That wasn't the worst" another woman said. "The authorities said she cut her husband and children's neck of before killing herself."

Naruto looked through the crowd and saw two men dressed in black, carrying a gurney with someone under a sheet. A dead body.

"I knew that she and her husband were having problems," cried a young woman who someone identified as Saya's sister. "But she never said that things were so bad... this must be a mistake... she wouldn't do such a thing..."

Naruto had never said more than two words to Fukui Saya, but had seen her at the grocery store and the playground with her two children. She seemed to be a cheerful woman who loved her children deeply. How could a mother kill her own children because she was fighting with her husband?

"What the hell is wrong with this village?" one man said. "This looks like the Death Year!"

Interested, Naruto turned to the man.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh! Naruto-san… you have only been here for two months. I guess you don't know… a lot strange deaths have occurred throughout the year" the young man explained, obviously interested in talking with a expert ninja on the subject. "In January, the oldest granddaughter of the village's Treasurer fell into the river and drowned. In February, old Makoto and his wife, the owners of the three largest mines in the village, were killed when their house burned down during the night. In April, my cousin's fiancé died the night before her wedding... she fell down the stairs and broke her neck. Two weeks later, a group of teenagers were camping in the forest and were never seen again... In May, the grandson of our Chief of Police accidentally drank bleach and eventually died in the hospital. In June, the Pathologist's sons killed each other because of a girl they both loved... A week later, she slashed her wrists in the bathroom. "

Naruto nodded slowly. It was very strange that so many deaths had occurred in a single year, especially in a small village.

"I had no idea" said Naruto. "When we moved here, I was told this was a quiet village."

"And it always was. For decades, deaths were always due to old age or accidents in the mines or the woods, but this year seems cursed. There haven't been so many deaths ever since the Incident. "

Naruto blinked.

"Incident?"

"Hansuke" cried a voice behind them. "Don't bother Naruto-san with your silly theories."

The mayor strode towards them. He was a middle age man, tall and with a stern face.

"Sorry, sir" Hansuke said, acknowledging that he had said too much.

"He wasn't bothering me" Naruto answered promptly. "What was the _Incident_?"

Despite his stern face, the mayor's eyes became sorrowful.

"It was one of the greatest tragedies that happened in this village, about fifteen years ago. A mass murder" the mayor said. "But that has nothing to do with this tragedy... I can't believe the young Saya was able to do such a thing."

The mayor went to the relatives of the dead and Naruto decided to return home. He had to admit he was curious about the incident. He would try to find out about more about it later… if he didn't forget.

* * *

Mami and Sasuke went up the stairs and waited as she rang the doorbell. The teenager was tired and angry for losing a whole day with a bunch of brats. It was like she had nothing better to do! The village's festival was tonight! And she hadn't even chosen a kimono or makeup yet. How did her mother think she would get a boyfriend if she wasn't careful about her appearance? She was sixteen! She wasn't a little girl anymore!

Irritated, Mami rang the bell again. Fortunately, Sasuke was the last kid she had to take home.

"I'm coming" a male voice said, followed by the sound of a key.

When the door opened, Mami's frown disappeared in a flash. In front of her was a young and absolutely gorgeous man. Unconsciously, Mami moved a hand through her hair.

"Hi..." she said, unable to take her eyes off his attractive face, deep blue eyes and sculptured body. For a moment, she forgot all about the child behind her. She was too busy noticing that the man shouldn't be much older than her and, therefore, possibly available.

"Hi" Naruto said. "You must be Mami. Did come to bring Sasuke home?"

The girl blinked, remembering the annoyed young boy behind her.

"Yes. Yes, I came to bring Sasuke-kun home" she said, pushing Sasuke's shoulders into the house.

Sasuke frowned and took off his sandals. Girls were all weird when they talked to his father.

"Sasuke-kun!" Mami said softly, in an attempt to impress the blond. "I didn't know you had a big brother? Why didn't you tell me?"

With that, Sasuke got even angrier.

"He's not my brother" the raven said. "He is my Dad."

Mami became as pale as a ghost. Oblivious of what was going on; Naruto took leave of Mami and shut the door.

"So? How was the movie? "Naruto asked cheerfully.

"It was cool" Sasuke said simply. He was still angry with Mami. He didn't like when people thought that Naruto was his brother or cousin... or even just an acquaintance. Sasuke thought that his Tou-chan wouldn't have had this problem with Grandpa Minato. They were so alike that people should know they were father and son right away, unlike what happened with Sasuke. He hated to be reminded that he was adopted.

"What's wrong, Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "Did something happen?"

"No..."

"Were you afraid of the movie?"

"No!" the child exclaimed, offended. "Tou-chan, I'm not a baby!"

Naruto laughed.

"I know that you're not a baby" the blond replied, amused with Sasuke's pouting.

"I wasn't scared of the film. It was really cool! There were ninja fights and... and Ninjutsu! Real one! "

"And what about Princess Fūun? How was she?" Naruto asked, remembering nostalgically the Nee-chan he chased all over for an autograph. At the time, he had been delighted with the idea of protecting a princess from a bad guy like in the movie. It was worth it, Yukie Nee-chan had said he was the world's strongest ninja. Though his autographed picture could have been a better one… God! Out cold in a hospital bed… He was even drooling!

"She fought really well" Sasuke said. "But the seven colored chakra is not real. All the other kids thought it was real, but I know it's pretend. "

"Hmm… I don't know... maybe it is real" said Naruto. "There are many amazing things in this world that are not in the books."

Sasuke looked at him with a mixture of doubt and wonder. What did his Dad know about chakra? Sasuke never saw him reading books about ninjas. He probably didn't know anything about them.

"Really?"

"I think so... Okay! Get ready for your bath" Naruto said. "We need to dress your kimono before going to the festival."

While Naruto helped Sasuke bathe and put on his light blue kimono (wrapping it wrong three times), Sasuke could only think that his father looked so weak and silly in comparison with the other kids' parents. And there was no way he could compare himself to Kaito, who was the coolest man he ever knew!

In Sasuke's eyes, Naruto was clumsy and uncool. He was always laughing like a clown and wasn't serious like the ninja he admired from the stories.

Seeing Naruto struggling with his own obi as if it were a snake, Sasuke felt slightly happy to be like his father Fugaku, who was a lot more remarkable. Sometimes, Naruto was so silly and wimpy that Sasuke felt embarrassed.

When Naruto was able to tie the obi and smiled at him a little self-conscious, Sasuke quickly forgot his embarrassment and smiled back. He couldn't be mad at him… he just couldn't. No matter how uncool Naruto was.

_"__He may be silly, but he's my Tou-chan!"_ the little raven thought, clutching Naruto's warm and comforting hand.

The village streets were decorated with colorful lanterns, paper tapes and many tents. Adults and children cheerfully moved forward, dressed in colorful kimonos. Naruto let Sasuke try to catch a fish from a pool with a small paper-spoon and bought him sweets to cheer him up when the raven failed.

Then, they placed a paper lantern in the river, they saw it move away with the others, making it one of the many bright lights of the river.

When the fireworks started, Sasuke couldn't see a thing because of the people who were in front of him. Realizing this, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arms and placed him upon his shoulders.

"Can you see it now, son?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah" Sasuke replied, clinging to Naruto's shoulders. "Thank you, Daddy!"

Naruto replied with a smile and turned to the colored lights in the sky. Sasuke leaned his head to his father's blond hair. Naruto could be weak and looked nothing like Kaito, Fugaku or the ninjas in the stories he read or saw in the movie, but he was still his gentle and smiling Daddy.

The crowd continued to cheer and applaud the fireworks, blissfully ignorant that a shadow was lurking in the darkness.

* * *

**Okay, to those who don't know, Fujikaze Yukie is a character from the first Naruto movie. In the English version, the character she portrayed was called Princess Gale (in the Japanese version it's Princess ****Fūun). **

**I know Sasuke was a bit contradictory in this chapter, but I believe it's natural. In one hand, he wishes he could look like Naruto so people would know they were parent and child, on the other hand he also feels a bit embarrassed at his Dad's goof****y personality. Come on, we've all been embarrassed by our parents or caretakers at some point, that doesn't mean we don't love them, right? **

**By the way, Sasuke still doesn't know Naruto didn't grow up with his parents or that he is an orphan.**

**I hope you liked the small chapter. Be warned for future gore. Here's a hint, the killer is an OC, not a canon character.**


	37. Red Lily

**Hi there! **

**First of all (and thanks ****randomKitty**** for reminding me), Phoenix Rising completed its first birthday. Wow… a whole year as gone by.**

**Also, special thanks to ****kaname-luvr ****and ****Dragon77****, my very first reviewers. Now… big thanks to all of those who are reading this story ever since! I love you all!**

**I hope you like this chapter.**

**PS: the _Incident_ happened 15 years ago, so it wasn't Sasuke! **

* * *

**Red Lily**

赤いユリ (_Akai yuri)_

"Uzumaki... Uzumaki!"

Sasuke blinked and looked at his left, where his teacher was staring at him with his eyes filled with anger.

"Did you hear anything of what I said, Uzumaki Sasuke?" the old professor asked. "Or were you more interested in taking a nap?"

Sasuke felt his cheeks flushed, but remained calm.

"I'm sorry, Takeru-sensei" the raven said.

Takeru was an old stern man who believed in discipline above all else. Those children had come straight from the kindergarten, where they only played and did what they wanted to. At age six, it was time to learn to work and realize that life was not all fun.

"Come here" the sensei ordered, pointing to the old blackboard. "You will show to your classmates how to write this sentence."

Sighing slowly, Sasuke got up from his desk and went obediently to the board. School was much harder than the nursery! They almost could never play, they had to do homework, tests and the teachers were not as friendly (why did Takeru-sensei liked to addressed everybody by their surname?).

With a frown, Takeru pointed to the chalk. Sasuke grabbed the small piece of white chalk and copied the sentence written on the board. When he finished, he saw that the sentence was perfect. The kanji were a bit clumsy, but Sasuke smiled when he saw that he had managed to copy the sentence without making any mistakes.

"The writing is very crooked" grumbled Takeru. "As a homework assignment, you will write this sentence ten times. Now go back to your place and pay attention. "

Sasuke wanted to stick his tongue out, but he kept a straight face and returned to his place. He didn't like school. Sure, it was good to read and write... to know how to count was also good, and Sasuke could do everything better than all his classmates. However, this wasn't what he wanted to learn. He wanted to learn Ninjutsu; he wanted to train with shuriken and kunai... or even a real sword. There were so many things he would rather learn.

He had asked his father to let him go to a Ninja School, or get a teacher or a shishou to train him. But Naruto had merely smiled and told him that his training would begin soon, Sasuke had to be patient first and learn the basics in school. Sasuke had been angry, but soon remembered what happened when he wanted to go with the ninja on the Land of Foam. Honestly, the raven wanted to be a ninja more than anything… but he wouldn't leave his Dad behind. The mere idea to leave Naruto, even to train, made him panic. Sasuke wouldn't go away ... he wanted his father to see him training and become a ninja. He wanted to see his face with pride the day that his dream became a reality.

A few minutes from the end of class, Takeru asked for silence.

"I have here the results of the tests you did last week" the teacher said, making most of the students tremble.

Unlike his classmates, Sasuke wasn't frightened by the results. The test was easy; he had everything right for sure. When he arrived home, after having taken the test, he told his Tou-chan that he was sure he'd get an _Excellent_. Naruto had smiled with pride and told him he was saving a space in the refrigerator to place the test.

Sasuke couldn't wait to show it to him. He wanted to hear his Daddy praise him... he wanted to hear him say that he expected nothing less of his child.

On the front row, Shinya and Junko got their tests. Junko smiled with relief, but Shinya was terrified, Sasuke could see his dark blond hair shaking. Noriaki, Chie and Kyoshiro received their test and sighed with relief as well. When Takeru-sensei came up to Sasuke and handed him the sheet, the raven received it with a slight smile... which died the moment he saw the grade in the left corner of the test.

_Very Good_... Eighty percent... he had only managed to get eighty percent on the test.

_"This is wrong,"_ the raven thought, looking at the test. _"I'm sure I did okay! I should have got 100% ... I should have got an Excellent!"_

His first reaction was to blame the teacher... Takeru didn't like him and had evaluated the test wrong, but when he looked at his answers, the raven didn't want to believe what he saw. With bitterness, Sasuke realized he had made mistakes in math and committed several errors in the sentences. It wasn't Takeru-sensei's fault... Sasuke was the one who was wrong...

Miserably, the raven put the test in his backpack.

* * *

"Gah... my Kaa-chan will kill me" lamented Shinya.

"Come on, Shinya" Chie said calmly. "It's not so bad..."

"Easy for you to say," the blond replied, with his shoulders down. "You had a _Very Good_... I had a _Bad_"

"It was a _Bad +_"

"Kaa-chan is gonna ground me... I won't be able to visit Akane Nee-chan in the candy store."

Junko snorted with irritation and contempt.

"You really are stupid" the girl whispered.

Shinya looked at Junko, but the girl pouted and turned away. Shrugging, Shinya noticed that Sasuke stood slightly away from the group, his dark eyes fixed on the floor and a worried expression on his face.

"What's wrong with _**you**_, Sasuke?" the blond boy asked.

Sasuke looked away.

"Nothing."

"You had the highest grade in class" Shinya grumbled, not hiding his envy and frustration. "You should be happy."

Sasuke looked at him with an annoyed expression. What did Shinya knew about him?

"I don't want to talk about it" Sasuke muttered. "And you don't know anything, so shut up."

Shinya pouted and grimaced. Sasuke replied sticking his tongue out.

The five children continued to walk until they reached a portion of a road that split in two, an old trail up and the road that they used to take to get to their homes. As Shinya wasn't in any hurry to deliver the test to his mom, he ran across the old trail.

"Shinya! What are you doing?" Kyoshiro said.

The boy smirked.

"I'm peeking at the Haunted Mansion" Shinya said.

Sasuke blinked, confused. But the other kids knew perfectly well that Shinya was talking about.

"Don't be dumb" muttered Junko. "Let's go home."

"Why? Are you afraid of the ghosts?" Shinya teased."You're all wusses. I'll see the mansion!"

Shinya ran up the trail.

"I'm not a wuss!" Noriaki grumbled, chasing Shinya.

"Me neither!" Kyoshiro said.

The children began to run on the trail. Although confused by what was happening, Sasuke followed them, jumping over rocks and pulling the weeds from his path. When he finally reached the other children, Sasuke's eyes widened.

It was a mansion, but it was almost as big as a castle. The roof was covered with blue tiles and the walls, although covered with ivy and weeds were still white. In the garden were planted several willows around a green and abandoned lake. The whole mansion was surrounded by an ugly rusty metal mesh to prevent people from entering.

"Wow!" Chie said. "It looks like a king's palace. It's so beautiful!"

"Is it true that it is haunted?" Noriaki asked.

"Of course it is! My grandma told me" Kyoshiro said with a straight face. "During the night, we can hear the ghosts of the Nakano family screaming."

"Who was the Nakano family?" Sasuke asked.

"Huh? You don't know? Everyone knows that story!" Shinya teased.

"I don't live here," said Sasuke, increasingly angry with Shinya. "That's why you all know the story and I don't."

"It's true, Shinya" Chie intervened. "Sasuke-kun just came to the village."

"Blah blah blah... Okay... I'll tell you, but if you get scared and start crying is not my fault" Shinya said, smiling with satisfaction when he saw Sasuke frowning with annoyance. "A long, long time ago, a wealthy family lived in this mansion: the Nakano. Mr. Nakano was the former mayor of the village and it was he who decided to build the mines here, so he was very rich with the diamonds and had many children... "

"After marrying Mrs. Himeko" Junko interrupted.

Shinya looked at Junko angrily.

"Okay... who cares? Mr. Nakano and his wife... Mrs. Himeko" Shinya added when Junko stared at him with a scowl. "They both died in an accident in the mines, so Hideo, the eldest son, became the new lord of the manor and the diamond mines. Everything was going well when, one night, a killer got on the mansion" Shinya pointed to the house. "And killed Hideo… and all his younger brothers and sisters."

"Stop!" Chie groaned.

"The killer got on the house and cut Hideo's head off" the blond boy continued, ignoring Chie. "Then he cut his sisters and brothers into pieces and threw his baby brother into the lake!"

"Stop! Stop telling this story! I don't want to hear it! Let's go home!" Chie whimpered, very frightened by the story.

"You're really a baby, Chie" grumbled Shinya. "I'm going in!"

"What?" Noriaki said. "Don't be silly, Shinya."

Shinya easily lifted a rusty piece of the network.

"They say they never cleaned the blood off the floor and the walls" Shinya said, excitedly. "I want to see if is still there!"

"Hmpf… that's stupid" Sasuke huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. Shinya was such a complete moron!

The blond was about to enter the garden of the mansion, when a large, tanned hand grabbed his wrist, making him scream. Caught by surprise all the children screamed, certain that it were the ghosts who wanted to take them to the Other World.

"This isn't a place for children" a stern voice said.

When the kids stopped crying they saw who had grabbed Shinya wasn't a ghost. It was a tall man with dark brown hair down to his shoulders and hazel eyes.

"Ka... Kaito-san ...?" Shinya stammered.

Seeing the coolest man in the village, the children sighed with relief.

"What are you doing here?" the young man asked. "The school is over... why aren't you home?"

"Shinya wanted to see the Haunted Mansion" Noriaki said. "We came after him."

"Well... he wanted to go _**into**_ the Mansion" Chie said.

Kaito stared at Shinya with a frown.

"An abandoned mansion is not a safe place for you to play" scolded Kaito.

"I'm not scared!" Shinya said. "I'm not afraid of ghosts."

Kaito's eyes softened, but his voice remained serious.

"I believe you... But look for danger is not the same as being brave, it's foolish and risky."

Shinya blushed up to his hair. Sasuke couldn't help smiling.

_"Nice"_ the raven haired boy thought. _"That'll teach you not to talk big."_

"Now, go home" said Kaito. "Your parents will be worried."

"Hai!" the children responded in unison.

"Ne! Ne! Kaito-san?" Shinya said. "Could you teach us to fight? You know... like in the spars between the loggers! You're so cool. When I grow up, I want to be as strong as you!"

Kaito chuckled.

"I'll think about your offer. Now go home... It's getting dark."

More excited than embarrassed, Shinya nodded and the children went back down the trail. Despite never admitting it, Sasuke was glad that Shinya had the nerve to ask Kaito to train them.

When all the kids said goodbye and headed to their respective homes, Sasuke remembered the test that was in his backpack.

* * *

Naruto had come home early despite having been very busy since early morning. Thanks to its clones, he had been able to do the equivalent of ten D-Rank missions and a C-Rank (there had been a pathetic attempt to steal a box of diamonds when the miners were taking it to the village and Naruto had been hired to protect them).

Although he missed the thrills and challenges of the missions he had with Team Kakashi, Naruto felt quite satisfied with his day's work. It had become comforting to go home, knowing that he wouldn't be alone because he had a family that was waiting and needed him.

Smiling, the blond ninja came home and took a long and relaxing shower. After was he dressed and clean, Naruto went to the kitchen thinking about what to make for dinner. He eventually learned to cook more than Ramen. Over the years, Naruto struggled to learn to do all kinds of meals. He even endeavored to eat fresh vegetables, despite still hating them... but he had to set a good example to Sasuke. That's what parents did and Naruto, more than anything, wanted to be a good father and raise Sasuke as it should be.

While making dinner, Naruto remembered the conversation he had with the miners who had hired him. He didn't forget the famous and mysterious _Incident_ and wanted to know more about it. The miners told him all they knew, including some strange assumptions about the massacre of the Nakano family. Not only was it terrible that the murderer had killed a loved and respected teenager in the community, but also mercilessly killed his younger siblings... small children including an eight month baby. The killer was never caught or discovered, or even his motives. Nothing had been stolen in the Mansion and the young heir, Nakano Hideo, had no enemies. He had been a kind boy; honest and fair... his loss was much mourned. The villagers were still shocked because there had been no reason for the massacre. The current mayor and Mr. Nakano younger brother, Nakano Aoki, hated when people talked about the massacre. He didn't even want to think about the night he lost almost his entire family.

Naruto met all sorts of criminals throughout his life. There was always a reason to kill someone, even just for pleasure or greed. Probably the Nakano killer also had his reasons, no matter how obscure.

The blond shinobi couldn't help it and remembered the Uchiha massacre. Apparently, there had been no reason why Uchiha Itachi killed his own family and, for years, everyone had thought he was just a monstrous and cruel ninja who had killed the entire clan, including his parents, to prove his skills. The real reason was very different.

Naruto awoke from his thoughts when he heard the sound of the front door opening slowly.

"O kaeri nasai!" Naruto cried in the kitchen while he was busy washing the vegetables in the sink.

"Ah... Tadaima..." Sasuke answered. Naruto blinked, puzzled by the voice tone of the boy. Sasuke seemed worried.

"What took you so long?" Naruto asked, without leaving the kitchen. "Takeru-sensei forced you to stay late?"

"No..." Sasuke said, running to his bedroom and putting his backpack on the bed. "We... ah... we played a little..."

"Oh! Ok, then" replied the blond.

Sasuke took the damn test from his pack, frowning when he saw the grade written in red. The raven looked at the kitchen door and gulped hard. He didn't want to show the test to his dad... it was so embarrassing. Sasuke wanted him to be proud and praise him when he showed him his 100%, instead Sasuke only managed a stingy 80%...

The feeling of shame and failure almost ripped his heart apart. The boy felt stupid and the mere idea of Tou-chan looking at the test and be disappointed or even scold him was too terrifying. He had to get rid of the test. He could throw it away... rip it to shreds and throw it to the trash, but the trash was in the kitchen...

_"I'll hide it"_ Sasuke decided, going into the living room. _"I'll hide it behind the old books on the top shelf... when Tou-chan goes to sleep, I'll go back and throw it away."_

Satisfied with his idea, Sasuke dragged a chair and climbed up. When he grabbed the shelf, the bookcase shook dangerously. Before Sasuke could react, the bookcase fell on him. The raven fell from the chair and covered his face with his hands to protect himself from the avalanche of books that fell upon him.

Alerted by the noise and the cries of pain, Naruto dropped everything and ran from the kitchen to the living room. With an impressive speed and strength, the blonde took the bookcase on top of the child and removed the books. Sasuke was lying on his back; he had a cut on his head made by a hardcover book and his elbows scraped when he fell from his chair.

"Are you alright, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, worried. "Where are you hurt? What hurts?"

Sasuke tried to suppress his tears, but couldn't. Everything hurt! His arms, head... even his bottom.

"It hurts... it really hurts..." the boy cried.

"Can you move your arms?" Naruto asked, ready to take him to the hospital. But Sasuke moved both arms with ease. "And your legs? Can you get up? Did you hit your head on the floor? "

After making sure that Sasuke hadn't broken any bones, Naruto could finally breathe of relief and took the child in his arms. Despite crying in pain, Sasuke remembered to hide the test in his shorts pocket and clung to his father.

Naruto sat Sasuke on the top of the toilet and cleaned his wounds with a wet cloth, while the boy moaned every time the blond touched his wounds.

"It will stop hurting" Naruto said softly. "These are just a few scratches; they'll heal in no time."

Sasuke continued to cry silently while Naruto put the ointment on every scratch and a small bandage on his forehead. It was in times like these that Naruto wanted his regenerative ability to be inheritable and not a side effect of being the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki.

"Is it better?" Naruto asked, looking at the child's red and swollen eyes.

Sasuke nodded slowly and wiped his tears with the back of his hand.

"I'm sorry I made the bookcase fall" the little raven said. "I'll pick everything up."

"Don't worry... we'll get the books later" Naruto said, putting the ointment and bandages in the medicine cabinet. "Now... could you explain to me why you were hiding a paper on the shelf?"

Sasuke's black eyes widened in surprise and, then, panic.

"I wasn't... how do you ...?" the boy stammered.

Naruto merely smirked like a sly fox.

"I saw you hide the paper in your shorts" said Naruto. "You wanted to hide it on the highest shelf, that's why it fell. Tell me... what do you want to hide from me?"

Sasuke felt his mouth dry and his lower lip trembled. With a trembling hand, the raven took the crumpled test from pocket and handed it to his father. Naruto smoothed the sheet and saw the test.

Sasuke's heart was beating strongly and painfully due to panic. A mental picture would not leave his head: Naruto would frown and stare at Sasuke with a tight-lipped grimace of disapproval and a cold and harsh stare.

_"That's it?"_ he would say. _"Is this the best you can do? You let me down, Sasuke."_

That's what would happen. His father would think that Sasuke was stupid and lazy. All the pride Naruto had for him would fade away because Sasuke couldn't get anything right. He failed. That was the only thing he could think of... he had failed.

Naruto lifted his blue eyes of the test and noticed that Sasuke was looking at his hands, tight in his shorts, and trembling. His face was even paler than usual... and that look ... Naruto recognized it... it was fear... pure fear.

The fear of being a failure.

_"Some things never change, teme"_ Naruto thought with a little smile.

Slowly, Naruto landed a hand on Sasuke's head. The raven stopped shaking and dared to lift his face and look at his father in the eye. Naruto was smiling and Sasuke could not believe it.

"You did your best, right?" Naruto said. "It was your first test in elementary school. Not bad! I'm impressed! "

Sasuke's still watery eyes widened.

"But I... I couldn't get it all right..." the raven said, carefully.

"Okay... it would be great if you got everything right, but this test is very good" Naruto said, still stroking the hair of his astonished son. "You were disappointed with yourself for not getting a 100%, right? Don't worry... if you study a little more, I'm sure you'll get thousands of them. "

"But I didn't get an _Excellent_" Sasuke continued, as if Naruto wasn't able to see the gravity of the situation. "I thought I knew everything... but I blew it."

Against his will, Sasuke felt the tears sliding down his face. He felt so sad, so disappointed... he wanted a 100% so much. He wanted to see his Daddy's face when he placed the test in the fridge... but Sasuke failed.

"Sasuke... you did your best" Naruto said softly. "It's okay... we learn when we get it wrong."

Sasuke suppressed a sob. He felt he had a stone at the bottom of his belly.

"I wish... I wish you were proud of me" Sasuke confessed. "I wanted... to make you proud."

Naruto grabbed his hand and took Sasuke to the kitchen. To the raven's surprise, Naruto stuck test in the refrigerator and knelt on the floor, staring at Sasuke's eyes.

"I want you to listen carefully, Sasuke. I'm proud of you and there is no test that makes me feel less proud, because I know you always do your best. Even if you had a _Very Good_... even if you had a _Bad_, I'm not going to stop being proud or love you less. I'm always proud of you. "

"Why?" the boy asked, confused.

"Because you exist."

Naruto let the last words sink in.

"I'll leave this test in the refrigerator" Naruto continued. "Every time you look at it, you'll think that you'll get better and better. It's very easy to win, but we learn much more when we lose because we must stand up and keep fighting. The most important thing is to never give up! A loser is not the person who loses; it's the person who gives up trying."

Sasuke heard all the words carefully, realizing its importance. Despite his young mind, Sasuke knew he was hearing something very important and would never be able to forget it. Oddly, the raven felt calmer... happier... as if a huge weight disappeared from his shoulders.

Almost shyly, Sasuke smiled back.

"Okay... no more tears" Naruto said, with his usual smirk.

Very slowly, Sasuke approached Naruto and circled his neck with his arms. Naruto only smiled and took the child in his arms, letting Sasuke lay his head on his shoulder, as he often did when he was younger.

Behind his blond-haired Daddy, Sasuke saw the sun through the kitchen curtains. The raven thought that Naruto was like the sun, warm and bright. There were times when Sasuke felt the world was all dark, cold and scary... like he felt just a few minutes before. He had felt the plunge into darkness and despair, without hope of being happy again. But his Tou-chan was there as a warm light to take him from the dark. He always had been.

* * *

The next day, Sasuke returned to school more excited. When he looked at test in the fridge, he didn't feel like a letdown, instead, he was determined to get better and did his best in class. Takeru-sensei continued to grumble and criticize all his mistakes, but the raven wasn't defeated. The idea of failure no longer frightened him as much as the previous day. All he had to do was try again and not give up.

During the lunch break, everyone noticed that Sasuke was much more cheerful. Shinya, who had been grounded for not having studied for the exam, was angry at the raven and decided to get even the only way he knew: annoying him.

"You were all scared to go into the Mansion yesterday" the blonde muttered. "I was the only one who was brave enough."

Sasuke continued to eat his lunch, trying to ignore the class clown.

"Hey! Look at me when I'm talking to you, know-it-all" grumbled Shinya.

"It's better to be a know-it-all than moron like you" Sasuke said, smiling before Shinya's red face.

"What? Say that again, asshole!"

"Hmpf" snorted the raven.

"Shinya! Leave Sasuke alone" Junko said. "You're jealous because he's got the best grade."

"Me? Jealous? Who is jealous of _**him**_?" Shinya growled, throwing away the rest of his lunch.

"Where are you going?" Noriaki said.

"I'm gonna steal the red lilies that the principal has in her office" Shinya said with bravado. "Today, I'm gonna give them to Akane Nee-chan."

"Are you stupid?" Junko squeaked. "You'll be caught and get into trouble."

"I'm not a scaredy-cat like you!" Shinya grumbled running into the school.

"Shinya!" Junko shouted. "I don't believe him..."

"He's really dumb" Kyoshiro said. "When the principal finds out who stole her flowers, he'll be grounded for life."

"He thinks that if he gives her those lilies, Akane Nee-chan is going to be his girlfriend" Chie said. "But she won't… she's a grownup. And grownups date other grownups."

"Hmpf" Sasuke snorted again. Shinya was an annoying show-off, he deserved to be caught. Maybe that would teach him to get smarter.

A few minutes later, they heard the sound of breaking glass and something heavy falling to the ground.

"What was that?" Noriaki asked.

The children got up and ran to the other side of the school. As they turned the corner, Junko screamed in horror.

Shinya was lying on the floor of the playground, his arms and legs spread wide as if he were a broken doll. A pool of blood was scattered around what was left of his head. His blond hair was now red with blood and pieces of his own brain. His dark blue eyes were empty and staring at Sasuke's face, without seeing.

Sasuke heard cries from all directions and worried voices, but it was as if his brain had shut down in shock. He didn't realize he was screaming with all his strength until someone grabbed him and took him, and other children, away.

Shinya's dead body still had a red lily in his hand.

* * *

**Ok… I told you there was gore (not much I guess). So now Shinya is dead… I don't plan on making the killer identity a secret for much longer.**

**Also, as for the time travel story, I'll start writing it once Sasuke is about 7 or 8 years old on Phoenix Rising, because I need Sasuke to be a little older for what I have in mind and I don't want to spoil some events that will happen on PR on the side story. **

**I'm also writing info about this story on the Naruto Fanon Wiki. Thanks again to ****Ilnarutoanime**** for the help. If you're interested, check it out.**

**Also, I saw the new Thor movie and I felt so sorry for Loki that I checked what happened to him… Well, apparently Marvel had the same idea like me in this fanfic (kinda). And I loved it! Hope Loki doesn't become evil again.**

**Well, see you guys again!**


	38. Night of the Avenger

**Okay…**** I felt inspired, so wrote this chapter in one day. **

**Hope you all enjoy this. This chapter has lot more action than I'm used to write, so I can just hope I did a good job with it.**

**Here it is!**

* * *

**Night of the Avenger**

復讐者の夜 _(Fukushū-sha no yoru)_

The bells rang as Shinya's small coffin was placed in the ditch and covered with earth.

Nearly all the inhabitants of Maruki had come to the funeral. A group of women surrounded Shinya's mother, who was crying so hard she fell to the ground from exhaustion. Shinya's father started screaming when the coffin was buried, and several men had to stop him from throwing himself into the ditch.

The cemetery was filled with men and women dressed in black and wailing faces. Sasuke had never been to a funeral before (except when they buried Akuma). It was the first time he came to person's funeral. A kid... a person he knew...

The raven looked around and saw several of his classmates with their parents. Many of them were crying, especially Junko, who was Shinya's best friend since they were babies. The girl clung to her father, sobbing uncontrollably and repeating that _"it wasn't fair"_ over and over.

Not far from Shinya's grave, Akane stood pale as a ghost and thick tears fell down her cheeks. She knew that the last thing that Shinya had done was pick flowers to give to her. Kaito approached her and placed his hand on her shoulder. Shortly after, Akane cried in his arms.

Naruto was beside Sasuke, watching him covertly. When the blond heard what had happened at school, he had rushed there. When he got there, Sasuke was sitting on a bench, surrounded by weeping friends and teachers, white as a sheet and staring at nothing. The raven didn't say a word all the way home and had eaten only because Naruto forced him.

During the funeral, Sasuke had stood still and silent, staring at everything and everyone with a empty gaze. Naruto still hadn't reassure him... he was not sure that Sasuke was ready for that yet, therefore, he remained at his side, also silent.

When the funeral was over, Naruto and Sasuke went home, walking slowly under the setting sun. Curiously, no one was on the road, it was as if the village had become deserted. They could only hear the sound of the cicadas, birds and wind.

Suddenly, Sasuke stopped on his tracks.

"Huh? What is it, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, turning back.

Sasuke remained silent, with his eyes on the ground and his hair blowing in the wind.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked again.

Sasuke's shoulders shook.

"I didn't like him" the raven said. Naruto blinked. "Shinya... He was an idiot and a showoff... he liked to mock me and I called him a moron..."

Naruto stood still, staring at Sasuke's lowered head.

"He was annoying... a total idiot... but..." Sasuke let out a sob. "But he didn't have to die... he was dumb and annoyed me, but... he didn't need to die..."

Naruto approached the raven and knelt before him.

"I know" the blond said.

Sasuke looked up and the first tears rolled down his cheeks. When he could no longer bear it, the raven burst into tears and ran into his father's arms. Naruto took the child on his lap and patted his back as he moaned and wept with his face buried in his shoulder, with his two small hands clenched in Naruto's shirt.

"He didn't deserve to die" Sasuke repeated through his sobs. "It's not fair..."

Naruto continued to stroke his back, letting the raven vent all his feelings of sadness, confusion and guilt. Naruto knew Sasuke well enough to know what he not only felt disturbed by the death of his classmate, but also for being the one that annoyed him.

There were no words that could comfort Sasuke at the moment, so Naruto just took the child home. When they arrived, Naruto laid Sasuke on the bed and stood beside him in silence as the boy cried.

"Tou-chan?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes?"

"Why do people die?"

Naruto laid a hand on the raven's head and stroked his hair.

"I don't know... it's something that happens to everybody," Naruto said. "No one lives forever."

"But death is sad..."

Naruto smiled sadly.

"You're right... death... is sad and painful. It's sad for those who die and it's sad for those who are left behind" Naruto looked out Sasuke's bedroom window and saw a green leaf floating in the wind, before disappearing from view.

"If I promise to be nicer to Shinya... can he come back?" the boy asked.

Naruto shook his head.

"Sasuke… Shinya didn't die because of you" the blond said. "Unfortunately, there is nothing that can bring Shinya back."

Sasuke nodded sadly, he knew it was useless to think of a way to bring back Shinya. When people died, they disappeared forever. Sniffing, Sasuke got up from bed and lay down on Naruto's lap, leaning his head to his father's chest.

Naruto continued to stroke his back and spiky black hair.

"The first time I went to a funeral was when the leader of our village died," Naruto told. "He was an old man who scolded me many times when I did stupid things... but I loved him... it was almost as if he were family. When he died... I was very sad... I didn't understand why he had to die, because death is sad..."

Sasuke raised his tearful eyes and stared at Naruto, who was still looking at the window.

* * *

_Naruto__ stood quiet during the funeral, with bandages from his fight with Gaara over his face. Next to him, Konohamaru was crying. Iruka placed a hand on the little boy's back and then kneeled and hugged him._

"_Iruka-sensei...why do people risk their lives for others?" the blond asked._

_Iruka looked at the picture of the Third Hokage, he was probably lost in his own memories of the old man as well._

"_When a person dies, he disappears...along with his past, current lifestyle, and his future. Many people die in missions and wars. They die easily and in surprisingly simple ways. Hayate was one of them" the sensei said. "Those who die have goals and dreams, but everyone has something as important as those. Parents, siblings, friends, lovers...people who are important to you. They trust and help each other. The bond between the people important to you ever since birth. And the sting that binds them becomes thicker and stronger as time goes by. It's beyond reason. Those bound to you by that string will do that...because it's important..."_

_Naruto looked at the Sandaime's picture again._

"_Yes, I think I understand somewhat, but...it's painful when someone dies."_

* * *

"Life is important" Naruto continued. "While we live, we bond with other people who become important to us. That is why it is so important to protect the people we love."

Sasuke heard his Dad's words carefully, although he couldn't fully understand their meaning. He remembered the talk he had with Iruka-sensei about being able to protect people. Sasuke felt that he could understand what he tried to say a bit better now... death was sad and makes people suffer, that was why life was so important.

An hour later, Naruto made a soup and took it to his son's room. Sasuke wasn't very hungry and told him that he didn't want to eat, but Naruto insisted, in a way that only parents do, and Sasuke ended up eating soup in his bed.

"Feeling better?" Naruto asked, taking the empty bowl.

"A little" Sasuke replied. "My eyes hurt."

"Then you better lie down and go to sleep. Put on your pajamas and go to wash yourself. "

"Huh? Tou-chan... But it's still early! And I'm not sleepy!"

"You're exhausted and you yawned three times already" Naruto said. "What you need is a good night's sleep. Come on! "

"Oh..." Sasuke grumbled, but obeyed. However, when he was ready to sleep, the raven got out of his bed and peeked at Naruto's bedroom. The blond was also in his pajamas and was lying in bed, reading a manga.

"Tou-chan?"

Naruto looked away from the book and looked at his son, who was leaning against the doorjamb.

"What is it, Sasuke?"

The boy rubbed his hands against the other, blushing slightly.

"Want to ask me something, son?" Naruto asked, smiling slightly.

"Oh... I... can I stay here with you?" Sasuke asked with his cheeks flushed. "Just a little bit..."

Naruto smiled even more. He knew Sasuke wanted to sleep in his bed, but the boy thought he was already too old for this.

Gosh… the kid was like an open book. Or maybe, Naruto just knew him too well. Parents knew their children better than anyone else.

"Sure," the blond replied. "You can make me company if you like. Besides, I was feeling a bit lonely."

Trying to hide his joy, Sasuke ran to his father's bed and lay down beside him. Naruto pulled the sheets and let Sasuke lay his head on his pillow. The raven looked at Naruto, who continued to read his book quietly, and moved closer. Shortly after, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's shirt and leaned against his warm and familiar body. Touched, Naruto placed a hand on the child's back, pulling him closer.

Feeling warm and cherished, Sasuke closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep.

* * *

_Everything is ready. Tonight will be the final night; I__'m tired of these games._

_It was fun, I must admit. All these small deaths, funerals, the crying... it was quite satisfying. And they don't have the slightest idea it was me. They would be surprised, shocked and finally horrified._

_I wasn't expecting that the famous Uzumaki__ Naruto could show up here. He can be a nuisance, but I'm not worried. I can deal with him. I waited too long and trained too hard to postpone my revenge. It has to be tonight, right after the kid's funeral._

_It was annoying to be at the memorial service because of a pathetic little brat, but I had to keep my mask, smiling on the inside and weeping on the outside. But it's time to take this mask off and reveal all these worms that I came back to claim the justice that has been denied._

* * *

"Sasuke! Sasuke, wake up! "

Sasuke felt a hand shaking him hard, waking him from his peaceful dream. First, the boy tried to turn and go back to sleep, but Naruto's worried voice made him realize that something was wrong.

"Tou-chan? What is it?" the raven asked.

"You have to get dressed, quick!" Naruto ordered, stripping his pajamas.

Sasuke looked out the window. It was still dark, but there was an orange light outside...

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked again.

Naruto pulled his pants up and grabbed his son, pulling him into the bedroom, where he began to undress his pajamas and dress him with the first clothes he found.

In the distance came the sound of an explosion. The window panes of Sasuke's room shook.

"Tou-chan?" Sasuke asked, feeling confused and scared. "What was that?"

"We have to leave, Sasuke" Naruto said, pulling Sasuke to the hall and putting on his sandals.

"Why?"

"There's no time to explain. Come with me!"

Naruto and Sasuke left home and ran down the stairs. Sasuke looked at the horizon and saw the towers of flame rise up from several buildings. There was a lot of smoke in the air and people screaming. What was happening?

Many other people had also left their homes, some still in their pajamas, and ran along the road, asking about their family and friends. Naruto took Sasuke in his arms and ran through the crowd until he got to a group of upset women and children. Sasuke recognized some of his classmates and their mothers.

"Akiyama-san!" Naruto shouted to one woman, who Sasuke recognized as Kyoshiro's mom.

"Naruto-san! This is horrible! The village... it's all on fire!" the woman exclaimed, her eyes filled with concern. "It looks like a war scenario. My husband went to help fight the fires... he said that someone is attacking the village. They found exploding tags."

Naruto's eyes darkened.

"I'm going to help too" Naruto said, not realizing that Sasuke's eyes had widened when the boy landed on the floor and he pulled him in Mrs. Akiyama's direction. "Get everyone who you can to the shelters. Please take Sasuke too. "

"Of course" the lady said, clutching Sasuke's shoulders. "Don't worry. We'll take care of him. "

Sasuke looked at Naruto and Mrs. Akiyama, confused about what was going on.

"Tou-chan? What's wrong?" the raven asked as the fear grew in his chest.

Naruto knelt in front of the child and looked into his eyes.

"The village is in danger" Naruto said quietly. "I want you to go with Akiyama-san and do as you are told, okay? She and the other ladies are going to a safe place. "

Sasuke felt his lip trembling.

"And where are you going?"

"I'll help the other men. Be good until I get back, okay? "

The raven gasped in horror.

"No... Don't go..." the boy sobbed, feeling the tears behind his eyes. "Please, Papa. Stay…"

Naruto hugged his son tightly.

"I'll come back, I promise" the blond whispered. "Be good and wait for me."

Before Sasuke could reply, Naruto got up and ran down the street, disappearing through the crowd and smoke.

"No! Papa, don't go! Don't go!" Sasuke shouted, trying to go after Naruto, but Mrs. Akiyama grabbed him tightly.

"He'll be okay, Sasuke-chan" the lady said, although her voice was full of fear and worry. "Come on… we have to go now."

"I don't wanna go" Sasuke yelled, more and more scared. "Let me go! I want my Daddy!"

But Mrs. Akiyama didn't let go and pulled him along with her children to the woods where there was an emergency shelter in a safe cave.

Sasuke looked steadily into the burning village and the full moon, covered by black smoke from the fires. The boy couldn't help feeling that something horrible was happening. People around him were concerned, crying and even injured. All the while, Sasuke was hoping to see his father come back through the crowd, but Naruto still hadn't reappeared and no one told him where he was.

Sasuke never felt so scared in his life. He just wanted his Daddy back. Why did he have to go help in the village? There were more men in the village... strong men! Why did his Dad have to go too? He was going to die... his father was going to die... like Shinya...

Naruto wasn't strong; he should have come with Sasuke to the shelters. If he was in the midst of these explosions he was going to die.

One of Mrs. Akiyama's sons tripped and she dropped Sasuke's hand to help him. The raven didn't even think twice and ran through the crowd, towards the village. He had to find his Tou-chan.

Sasuke continued to run in the opposite direction of villagers fleeing the village. The more he rushed to the village's center, the more heat and smoke prevented him from breathing.

"Tou-chan!" Sasuke shouted, looking around. "Papa! Where are you? "

But nobody answered. That area of the village was deserted... there were just burning buildings.

"Papa!" Sasuke yelled with all his might.

Something exploded behind him and Sasuke fell to the ground, coughing violently.

"Daddy..." the boy murmured.

A shadow passed in front of Sasuke. The raven looked up and saw Kaito, covered in soot and dirt, across the street.

"Ka-Kaito-san!" Sasuke yelled, getting up and running in his direction.

Kaito stopped and looked at the child with his eyes wide with surprise.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, abruptly. "Why didn't you escape to the shelters?"

"My Dad is gone" Sasuke sighed, gazing at him with pleading eyes. "Please... I can't find him..."

Kaito looked at the buildings on fire and ran a hand through his dirty hair.

"There is nothing I can do," the man said. "I also came looking for someone. Go back and look for someone to take you to the shelters!"

Without another word, Kaito left Sasuke and ran down the street. The raven was perplexed and disappointed. Kaito had ignored him as if he was nothing!

"Kaito-san! Wait!" Sasuke yelled, following the man. Kaito was the strongest man he knew, if anyone was able to save his father he was. Sasuke had to convince him to help him.

Kaito ran through several streets that Sasuke didn't know, even so, the boy followed the man. Finally, Sasuke saw that Kaito had stopped near a large house that wasn't on fire, his eyes fixed on the open door.

Sasuke approached Kaito slowly, but he didn't even notice his presence. The man's eyes were fixed on the woman who staggered out the door.

"Akane!" Kaito shouted, running towards the candy lady.

Akane looked at Kaito, with her messy hair and her clothes covered in blood.

"Kaito..." she said.

Kaito walked up to her and hugged her tightly.

"I looked for you everywhere" Kaito said in anguish. "When couldn't find you at home... I immediately thought the worst... you're hurt."

"This... this is nothing..." Akane said, hugging Kaito. "I'm so glad you're here, Kaito."

Sasuke moved closer and noticed the board above the door of the big house: Nakano Family.

"Akane, let's go... we have to go to the shelters" Kaito said, staring at her. "Why did you come to the mayor's house?"

Akane looked down. Then, Kaito gasped.

"Because I came to kill him, my love" Akane said with a cruel smile on her lips.

With wide eyes, Kaito and staggered away from her. With a stunned expression, he looked at the kunai that she stabbed in his chest. A trickle of blood ran from his mouth.

"Akane...?" Kaito asked before falling to the ground.

Akane laughed and threw her long black hair wig to the floor. Her real hair, reddish orange, was fluttering in the air like the flames consuming the buildings behind them.

"Himura Akane never existed" the woman said with a grin, staring at the dead man in front her.

Sasuke was in awe... Akane Nee-chan... she had... she had killed Kaito-san... It couldn't be. That couldn't be happening!

"Well now... what am I going to do with you?" the woman asked, looking at Sasuke with her cold and ruthless eyes. "Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke was so frightened, he couldn't even move. His legs were shaking like green leaves.

"Why?" the raven stammered.

"Oh! Kaito? He was getting on my nerves" Akane replied coldly. "Men... they think they can have a woman just because of one simple kiss. He served his purpose, but now don't need him. So I got rid of him."

Akane walked up to Sasuke and took something from her bloody kimono. A kunai.

"It's a shame, Sasuke-kun" Akane continued. "You had bad luck. If you had gone to the shelter, maybe you'd lived a few more hours. If your father hadn't decided to come to this damn village, you wouldn't even have to die. "

Sasuke gasped. She was going to kill him like she killed Kaito-san. Akane had no resemblance at all to the kind and friendly woman who offered them free candy and talked with them with such gentleness. _This_ Akane seemed crazy and dangerous... like a monster.

"You know? I was at your school yesterday" Akane revealed, continuing to move towards the boy. "My plan was to kill a teacher or even the principal... that would disturb those dim-witted villagers. I wasn't expecting to find Shinya-kun in the office, looking for flowers to give me. It was almost a gift from heaven! A kid's death would be much more shocking."

The raven couldn't believe what he was hearing. The horror caused his bile to rise up to his mouth.

"You killed Shinya" Sasuke said.

Akane laughed unpleasantly.

"You're a clever little brat, aren't you? Yes, I did... you should have seen his face when he realized he was going to die. It was priceless."

Despite the horror and fear, Sasuke felt another emotion at the bottom of his heart… it was resentment and fury.

"Shinya liked you" the raven said. "He liked you so much that he wanted you to be his girlfriend. And you killed him!"

"As if I cared about that" Akane said with contempt. "All I want is to destroy this village, but want everyone to suffer first. I want to hear their cries of despair before I kill them all... one by one. Many of them have already died tonight. After that, only ashes will remain."

Sasuke finally understood. It was all Akane's fault. She was the one who had burned the village.

"Why are you doing this? Why do you want to hurt everyone? They didn't do anything to you" Sasuke asked, feeling a strange knot in his stomach and heart.

Sasuke finally managed to move his legs, but just enough to back away a few steps, banging his back against a wall. Akane continued to approach him slowly, staring at him with her dark eyes full of hatred.

"Revenge" she answered. "You know what that is, boy? It means that I will make them pay for what they did... I am an avenger."

Sasuke saw Akane lift the kunai in the air and knew he was going to die, she was going to kill him like killed Kaito, Shinya and the others.

He was never going to see his father again.

Suddenly, Sasuke felt weird. His eyes were burning and he saw a line of light that radiated from Akane's kunai. By the time she attacked him; Sasuke was able to bypass the kunai and swung to the left. Akane's kunai opened a huge hole in the wall where Sasuke had been.

"Where are you?" Akane asked, looking at the debris, confused and frustrated for failing such an easy target. "Where did you go?"

When she looked to the side, she saw Sasuke on his knees and trying to get up. When the boy looked at her, Akane's eyes widened in genuine surprise… Sasuke irises had become bright red, a small tomoe around each pupil.

Akane was a ninja long enough to recognize that eye, despite never having seen one personally.

"The Sharingan?" she murmured, almost to herself. "That's not possible. How can you have one?"

Sasuke didn't know what she was talking about, but it wasn't important. He had to get out or she would kill him. With some surprise, the raven realized that he could see everything much more clearly, even Akane. Sasuke could perceive her every move, no matter how small they were, like the waving of her hair or a small movement of her fingers.

Composing herself, Akane attacked him again, but Sasuke could see that she was going to attack and moved on time again.

"You fucking bastard!" Akane yelled, continuing to attack Sasuke.

The raven jumped in time to avoid a new attack, but he stumbled and staggered. Taking this opportunity, Akane grabbed him by the neck and lifted him into the air. Sasuke kicked and tried to get her to let go of him, but it was of no use. Her grasp was too strong.

Feeling out of air, Sasuke looked at Akane. Her eyes looked like small purple spots, filled with rage and bloodlust. With her other hand, she raised her kunai and Sasuke closed his eyes with a tear running down his face.

"Die!" Akane shouted, and Sasuke flinched, ready for the pain.

But the pain didn't come. Instead, Sasuke felt someone had grabbed him and pulled him away with a jump.

"What?" Akane asked, looking straight ahead.

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes and realized that Akane was several meters away. Also, there was someone holding him. When the raven looked up, his eyes widened in astonishment.

Holding him was a young man who was surrounded by an aura of enormous power. Under his blond fringe was the traditional shinobi forehead protector and his serious blue eyes were fixed on the woman in front of them.

Sasuke had seen that face a thousand times, but now it seemed entirely new.

"Tou-chan?"

* * *

**Okay****… so the killer is revealed. It's my first murder story; I hope the killer wasn't too obvious. Her reasons will be revealed in the following chapter. BTW, Akane has a chakra kunai blade.**

**And yes, Sasuke has a regular Sharingan, though very underdeveloped. One tomoe (those dot like things) on each eye.**

**The "I am an avenger" line... I know it's cliché, but I couldn't help it ^_^**

**Also, along with Phoenix Rising, I'm writing two other fanfictions, one about Madara and other about Golbez from Final Fantasy IV. If you're interested, please check it out.**

**I hope you liked this chapter. See you guys later!**


	39. Flames of Hatred

**God… I'm tired… **

**As I said before, action scenes are not my thing. It's always very hard for me to write them. Still, I did my best and I tried to make Naruto a badass. **

**PS: Naruto had his Hitai-ate on his pants' pocket. After he left Sasuke, he put it on.**

**Warning: spoiler about recent manga chapters.**

**Here it goes…**

* * *

**Flames of Hatred**

憎しみの炎 _(Nikushimi no honoo)_

Sasuke's red eyes were fixed on his father's face, almost as if he couldn't believe he was right there. In a second, Sasuke was sure he was going to die, on the other, he was safe in Naruto's arms.

Akane stared at Naruto frowning, obviously aggravated at being interrupted.

"So you found me, huh?" she said with a grin. "I've been wondering how long it would take until you confronted me."

Sasuke looked at Akane and then Naruto, not knowing what was going on. His father continued to hold him tightly but his blue eyes, normally bright and gentle, were hard and fixed on the woman covered in blood in front of them. He had never seen him staring at someone like that before.

Sasuke also didn't understand why Naruto had a Hitai-ate on his forehead... The only ones who had one were shinobi. What was happening?

"Tou-chan?" Sasuke asked again.

Naruto looked at him and his gaze softened slightly.

"Are you hurt, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke shook his head.

"No... but she... she killed Kaito-san" Sasuke said, clinging to Naruto. "She was the one who set fire to the village... and she... she killed Shinya too."

Naruto looked back at Akane.

"All the other deaths over the year… Saya-san's family... was it you?" the blond asked with a firm but calm voice.

Sasuke didn't understand how his Dad could be so calm. They had to run away! Or Akane would kill them both.

"Obviously" the woman replied, with a crazy grin twisting her once attractive face . "I thought to cause them pain first... before moving to the final event. They don't know what it is... what anguish is to lose everything you love most at the hands of someone. But now they know. And this is just the beginning... when I kill everyone they love, they will finally understand my hatred. "

Naruto blinked and something close to recognition appeared in his eyes.

"So that's what this is about" the blond said. "Revenge."

Sasuke's small hands clung to Naruto's sweater tighter. Akane's hatred was so strong that even he could feel it like an icy hand on his spine. It was something horrible, dark and cold... and strangely familiar. Sasuke felt scared... it was like being pulled into a nightmare where he knew he had been before and never wanted to go back.

"Daddy..." the boy gasped."Let's go..."

Naruto grabbed him harder.

"What happened to you, Akane?" Naruto asked. "Why do you hate this village so much?"

"Hmpf... As if someone like you could understand" Akane snorted with contempt. "Okay then... since you will be dead after this, I think you should know why."

One building collapsed completely behind Akane, but she didn't even budge. Her smile disappeared, replaced by an expression of rage and pure hatred. She and Naruto continued to stare up, surrounded by sparks and smoke.

"My real name is Tanaka Misora" she said. "I was born and lived in this village with my parents. We were happy... very happy. My father was a good man, fair and understanding... my mother was the kindest person I ever knew... she never spoke ill of anyone... she always believed the best about people."

Naruto noticed that the last sentence was spoken with huge bitterness.

"When I was ten, I came home from school and called my parents... but no one answered... I looked for them everywhere. I found my father first, lying in a pool of his own blood on the kitchen floor" Akane revealed, with a calm voice but filled with hatred and pain. "My mother was in their bedroom, lying in bed... with her eyes wide open and with a look of fear on her face... I later learned that she had been strangled. People were all very kind to me... the village's elders; the police... the man who every one idolized... the mayor... came to me personally. He swore to me that it would be okay. "

Suddenly, Akane laughed. It was a sad, angry and mad laugh that made Sasuke's hair stood up. Naruto, however, remained impassive.

"I had to live alone in the house where my parents were murdered" Akane continued. "I never found out who killed them or why. I begged them to not stop looking ... but everyone told me it was useless... I should forget and get on with my life. _**Forget**_. As if my parents' death was the commonest thing in the world! Someone had killed them... taken them away from me and I had to forget? Never! I would never forget!

Still, one year went by and no one found anything. Then another year and they still didn't have any clues. They stopped looking... and I couldn't do anything. When I was fifteen, I thought I was already used to the idea and could move on. I was in love... with the mayor's son, Nakano Hideo. He was cheerful and nice. He understood me and supported me... with him and his siblings I didn't feel alone anymore. But everything changed when his parents died."

Sasuke was shaking, he just wanted his father to flee away from her... but Naruto kept quiet and listened to the Akane's story with all his attention.

"What happened?" Naruto asked.

Akane grimaced.

"Hideo found his father's diary" the woman said. Her eyes sparkled almost as much as the fire around them. "One day, Hideo asked me to go meet him... he wanted to tell me the truth. He told me he had found his father's diary in a safe and that he had written about my mother for years. He was obsessed with her... he wanted her and believed she belonged to him, but my mother rejected him and chose my father. It was him who had killed my parents... the great lord Nakano, mayor, one of the founders of the village... He killed my mother so that she could not be anyone else... he killed my father because he had _stolen_ her from him. The Police and other elders knew... but they wanted to cover everything up to avoid a scandal. They protected a murderer and lied to me! The whole time!"

Naruto continued to stare at Akane.

"Hideo told you everything?" the blond asked. "What did you do then?"

"I was shocked and angry" Akane shouted, completely wild. "The son of a bitch who killed my parents was dead... I had no right to anything! Not even my revenge! Worse! I had loved the murderer's son... I felt filthy! I fled from Hideo; I couldn't even look at him. All I could think was that I could never make my parents' killer pay for what he did... I wanted to kill him with my bare hands... blood... I needed his blood! It was then that I realized... his blood was still living within Hideo and his cursed siblings. That night I went to the Nakano Mansion... Hideo opened the door for me and let me come inside… he said how sorry he was… that he would try to make everything okay, it was then that I cut his neck with my mother's kitchen knife. I just stood there, seeing him bleed out... and I felt happy... I felt that my parents were finally being avenged. After he died, I took care of the siblings... they all had his blood… the blood of the man who had killed my family. "

Sasuke was horrified by this horrible story. When he looked at Akane, he saw only hatred. It was hatred so deep and cold that Sasuke felt freezing inside... the worst was that feeling was too familiar. He already felt like this before... when he was caught in that dream with the snake man and the monster. He remembered the monster that had been inside him. He could never forget... When he looked at Akane, it was as if Sasuke was seeing him again.

_Hate... Revenge... Darkness... _

"After killing them all, I waited inside the house" Akane continued. "It was done... I had finally avenged my parents... but something wasn't right. I felt empty... It was then that I realized that my revenge wasn't complete. The other elders... they knew who had killed my parents the whole time, but had chosen to protect a murderer rather than giving them justice. They were as guilty as the Nakano! But I was still too weak, I couldn't kill them all. I needed power. So I fled and I found someone who taught me Ninjutsu. I trained for ten years... I went back to the village five years ago under the name of Himura Akane. The more spent here, the more I despised them all. Not just the elders... but also the villagers, who continued their miserable little lives without knowing anything. No one cared about what happened to my family... they just kept saying that the Nakano massacre had been a tragedy! What do they know? They know nothing about pain, about hate! NOTHING! BUT NOW THEY WILL NEVER FORGET!"

Akane jumped towards them, Sasuke saw a line of light extending from her kunai. Naruto pulled Sasuke out of her reach and the raven saw helplessly as the kunai pierced his Dad's chest.

Sasuke's eyes widened in horror and tears.

"TOU-CHAN!" the boy cried. It couldn't be... he died... Daddy had died...

Akane smiled victoriously.

"After all… you were not so tough" she said with a smirk.

Naruto's body relaxed... and exploded in smoke.

"What?" Akane shouted.

Sasuke also blinked, not understanding what had happened.

"Kage Bunshin" Akane murmured, looking around.

Then a blue light appeared in the sky. Both Sasuke and Akane gasped. Two Narutos appeared through the smoke, holding a huge sphere of chakra in his hands.

"Ōdama Rasengan!"

Akane could move away, but the blast threw her against a wall. One of Naruto's clones vanished in a cloud of smoke and the blond stared at his opponent in the middle of the huge hole he had made with his jutsu.

Sasuke was stunned. The first thing he thought was that his father was alive... he hadn't been killed by Akane... his relief was mixed with confusion.

_"Kage Bunshin... this is a ninja technique... how __could Tou-chan do it? And that blue ball? What was that?"_ the boy thought.

Akane summoned chakra to empower her kunai and attacked Naruto. The blond moved away from the attacks and jumped to one of the roofs. When Akane followed, Naruto took the chance and kicked her in the stomach. The woman was thrown to the ground and her kunai fell from her hands.

"Tsk..." she snorted, spitting blood onto the floor. "Damn!"

Akane made several hand seals.

"Doton: Sen ya!" she cried.

Several arrows came from the earth and were fired at Naruto. The blond made a clone again and defended himself with a Rasengan, which destroyed most of the arrows, and brought down the mayor's house. Akane fled the falling building, while Naruto grabbed Sasuke and jumped from roof to roof until they were away from the burning village.

Sasuke looked down and looked at his Dad's feet, where a bright light made him cling firmly to a roof and increased his jump. With amazement, Sasuke realized that it was chakra.

Naruto landed Sasuke on the highest point of the village, almost at the top of the mountain, near one of the many waterfalls, which tourists often used as a lookout to see the whole village and the valley. When the raven was already on the ground, he looked at Naruto with wide and confused eyes. His Sharingan was still activated.

"You're safe here" Naruto said, clutching his Hitai-ate which was getting loser.

Sasuke continued to stare at him.

"Where are you going?" the boy asked.

"I'm going fight Akane" Naruto said. "I want you to stay here."

Before Sasuke could answer back, Naruto jumped to the cliff. Sasuke ran to the guardrail and watched as his father jumped from roof to roof, with an incredible agility and speed. Sasuke had never seen anything like it... not even in books or movies. But one thing he was absolutely sure.

Naruto... his Dad... was a ninja.

* * *

Akane wasted no time and attacked Naruto with her Doton again. When the blond moved from the attacks, the young woman attacked him with a chakra blade, which she increased the range of several meters.

After Naruto turned aside from the blade and tried to attack Akane with Taijutsu, he realized that she was too quick and agile to fight close. If he wanted to win, he would to have change his approach.

"Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Within seconds, there were hundreds of clones of Naruto, surrounding Akane from all directions. The kunoichi gritted her teeth with rage and attacked the clones.

"You think you can hide from me like this?" Akane growled, destroying several clones with her blade. "Do _not_ underestimate me... I'll find you! Even if I have to destroy your clones one by one!"

Akane sensed a presence and looked behind her just in time to see a Rasengan about to crash against her. Swiftly, the kunoichi bent down and the Rasengan blew up the house at her back. Taking this opening, Akane pierced Naruto with her chakra blade. To her frustration, this was also a Naruto clone.

"You bastard!" Akane shouted.

"Rasengan!"

When Akane looked up it was too late. Naruto's Rasengan had already hit her in the back and the kunoichi screamed in pain as she sank into the crater created by the spiraling sphere of chakra.

Naruto stepped back and looked at the crater. Akane was lying with a huge wound in her back. Suddenly, she coughed blood and jumped out of the crater.

_"She survived my Rasengan?"_ Naruto thought, frowning. _"She's tougher than I thought."_

However, Akane looked at him gasping and blood flowing from her mouth and nose. Her eyes were filled with more hatred and rage than ever, like a rabid animal.

"Kono yaro..." she spat."It's not over... it hasn't even started yet!"

Akane touched her bloodied lip and put her hand on the floor.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" she cried.

With a cloud of white smoke, emerged some kind of black wolf with three heads. The animal was huge, with yellow eyes, snarling with rage, as the kunoichi who had summoned him. The latter was on top of the beast, looking at Naruto with a cruel grin of triumph.

"Try to get away from this!" She cried.

The three-headed wolf howled and threw red flames against Naruto and his clones. The area where they were quickly turned into a flaming crater.

Akane sighed and coughed more blood. She was injured, but had won. Uzumaki Naruto was not as strong as the stories said it... her hate was stronger than that.

The sound of an explosion made the kunoichi look up. To her amazement, a huge red frog came out of the smoke and threw himself against the three-headed wolf. Akane staggered and almost fell down the animal.

"What? It can't be!" she cried.

Then she saw him... in the head of the giant toad. Naruto not only had escaped the flames, but also seemed completely unharmed. Even weirder, his body was shining and flickering… like he was on fire.

"You haven't summoned me in six years, kid" Gamabunta grunted, holding the three mouths of the wolf with his sword. "When you finally decide to call me, you send me to the center of hell? Frogs don't like the heat. "

On top of Gamabunta's head, Naruto laughed.

"Sorry, Gama Oyabun! But really needed some help here... "

"Eh! It doesn't matter" the big frog replied. "And who is this enemy? A woman?"

Naruto frowned.

"Don't underestimate her, Oyabun" Naruto said. In the Kyuubi Chakra Mode, the blond could feel the woman's hatred better than ever. It was dark, deep and very strong.

Like Sasuke's had been.

"I never underestimate a woman. It is true what they say... Hell has no fury like a woman's wrath. "

Gamabunta moved away from the wolf and struck him with his sword in one of the legs. The animal yelped in pain and retreated.

"You need to cool down" Gamabunta said. "Teppōdama!"

The water in the form of a cannon ball hit the wolf and threw it away from the village. Trees and rocks were destroyed with their passing and the earth trembled.

"Oyabun! You can do something about the fires?" Naruto asked.

"Hmpf… too easy" the frog replied, throwing two bullets of water which collided against each other, creating a heavy rain that erased most of the fires.

"Great! Thank you, Oyabun" Naruto said. "Now... we end this."

Gamabunta jumped towards the three-headed wolf and Akane. The kunoichi had managed to grab on to the beast and stared at Naruto with blind rage.

Naruto used the Kyuubi chakra to create several arms and prepared his final attack. The night sky lit up.

"Rasenshuriken!"

A huge sphere of chakra crashed into Akane and the wolf, creating a huge ball of light and winds so strong that the sky became cloudless.

* * *

Sasuke continued to watch the battle between Naruto and Akane in both anxiety and bewilderment. His eyes captured every detail and the boy almost felt his heart stop when Akane invoked the giant wolf and threw flames against his father. When Gamabunta appeared out of nowhere and attacked the wolf, Sasuke couldn't believe it.

He had met Gamabunta in Myōboku... He was Gamakishi and Gamatatsu's dad. Sasuke had always seen him as a giant frog who liked to sleep and drink sake while his kids played with him. Now, that same frog was fighting a colossal battle against a huge three-headed giant wolf with Naruto on top of his head.

Naruto had become... different. It was as if his body was light itself. Sasuke couldn't explain it, but he felt the enormous power that emanated from his Dad's body.

That man... was it really Naruto? That powerful man was really his smiling and silly Daddy?

Several people came up to Sasuke and also pored over the fence, watching the amazing battle ahead of them.

"Incredible!" one man exclaimed.

"He'll win" said another. "I didn't expect less from Naruto-sama!"

"He is truly amazing. No wonder he was the hero of the last Shinobi War! "

Sasuke blinked. Shinobi War? Hero?

"We don't have to worry anymore. We're saved!"

"With Naruto-sama here, one of the most powerful shinobi in the world, we have nothing to fear!"

Sasuke continued to watch the amazing battle which took place in front of him. His Sharingan was fixed at Naruto, who had just launched a huge sphere of light against Akane and her giant wolf. Sasuke had never seen his father like that... he seemed so strong, fearless and amazing. It was the most amazing thing he had ever seen.

"Tou-chan... you are..." the raven murmured. But a strong dizziness prevented him from saying anything else. Everything became blurred and he realized he had dropped the metal fence.

Feeling exhausted, Sasuke fell backwards and fainted before reaching the ground.

* * *

Still sitting on top of Gamabunta, Naruto looked at the huge crater that he had created. Akane's chakra had disappeared completely, as the wolf's. All that was left were rocks in the hole. Soon after, the many rivers that came down the mountains started filling the crater with water. Soon, that place would be a lake.

"I think you disintegrated her, gaki" Gamabunta said.

Naruto tried to felt Akane again, but couldn't. She was gone. Sighing, the blond Jinchuriki was about to end the Kyuubi Chakra Mode, when the felt him. Sasuke's small chakra reserves were depleted.

"No..." Naruto groaned, running and jumping as fast as he could, until he reached with the small crowd that was surrounding the boy lying on the ground.

Seeing Naruto, they moved to let him pass. Naruto ended his Kyuubi Chakra Mode and knelt down next to Sasuke, looking for his pulse. The little boy was alive but very weak. His face was very pale and he breathed slowly.

Sasuke had awakened the Sharingan and probably had been with it active during the whole battle.

Not wanting to waste time, Naruto summoned a little frog and ordered him to call Tsunade immediately.

* * *

An hour later, Tsunade left Sasuke's room. Fortunately, their house hadn't been destroyed by the fires because they lived in the village's outskirts. Naruto was sitting in a chair in the kitchen, waiting for the Hokage.

"Well?" Naruto asked, worried. "He'll be all right?"

"He'll be asleep for a few days" Tsunade said, still sleepy from having been pushed out of bed in the middle of the night and brought to a ruined village by a very hysterical Naruto. "He used up almost all the chakra he had, so he will need some days to recover. But he'll be fine... I also put some bandages on the wounds in his arms and legs. Nothing too serious... just a few small scratches. "

Relieved, Naruto sat back in his chair, with a trembling hand over his chest.

"Good..." the blond sighed. "Thanks Baa-chan ..."

Tsunade folded her arms over her generous chest.

"So… he awakened the Sharingan" the Godaime commented. "It's an early age... not even Itachi awakened it so early on."

Naruto looked at Tsunade with tired eyes, but attentive.

"Is that bad?"

"Not necessarily. The Sharingan uses a lot of chakra and children don't have large reserves of it... you'll have to make sure that he will not activate it the whole time" Tsunade said with a serious gaze. "After all this, I think the time has come. Don't you think so, Naruto? "

The blond nodded, he knew perfectly well what that Tsunade was talking about. Sasuke finally had seen Naruto act like a ninja. He was an intelligent and perceptive child... he could easily put two and two together.

It was time to get Sasuke back into the shinobi world.

* * *

**That was it. I hope I didn't disappoint anyone…**

**Like I said before, Sasuke will return to Konoha when he's 10 years old. So, his not coming back to the village yet.**

**As**** for the name trivia:**

**Akane's name is related with the color red, because it seemed appropriate. **_**Himura**_** means "scarlet village" from **_**hi**_** meaning "scarlet" and **_**mura**_** meaning "village". **_**Akane**_** is a Japanese name that may be written with the character for "madder; red dye". Her real name, **_**Misora**_**, means "beautiful sky".**

**Her jutsu **_**Doton: Sen ya**_**, I made it up. It means: **_**Earth Release: One Thousand Arrows**_**.**

**I don't know Japanese, so I did my research on the web. It c****an be wrong. If any of you find an error, please inform me so I can change it.**

**Also, this is the first time Naruto uses the Kyuubi Chakra Mode in this story. He didn't use it against Sasuke because, when I wrote that, that hadn't happen in the manga yet. **

**Thanks for reading. And thanks for helping me reach the 1000 reviews! Yay!**


	40. Time to Talk

**Wow… I haven't written a long chapter in a while. This is a break from the previous action chapters, and again focuses more on character development.**

**As I said before: Sasuke will return to Konoha when he's 10 years old and no, this story has no pairings.**

**I have plans for these two. A lot can and will happen before they return to the village.**

**Enjoy!**

**Warning: some spoilers about recent chapters.**

* * *

**Time to Talk**

話をする時間 _(Hanashi o suru jikan)_

"_**At last I understand. I am an avenger."**_

_It was so hot__... why was it so hot? _

_Slowly, Sasuke moved through the streets, watching the burning houses around __him. Apart from the noise of burning wood, he could hear desperate cries, though he couldn't see the people who were screaming._

_The heat was unbearable. Sasuke was having trouble breathing. There was red all around, even the sky was red like blood..._

_In the village's center, there was someone... right in the midst of the fires. But this person didn't seem concerned... Sasuke could hear the person's laughter... that empty and sad laugh…_

"_**With the path I walk on, I must acquire power at any price, even it means become consumed by evil."**_

_Akane! __She was the one who was doing this! She was going to kill everyone because her parents had been killed._

"_**Revenge is everything to me. If I can carry out my revenge, it's no concern of mine what happens to me, or to this world."**_

"_Revenge..."_

_Not__ knowing why, Sasuke continued to walk in her direction, despite all his instincts ordered him to flee. But the raven continued to walk towards her, as if he was somebody else._

_"It's so hot__... I want to leave, but ... I can't. Why can't I go away? I want to leave... "_

_When Sasuke came up to Akane and the smoke from the fires cleared, the raven haired boy realized that it wasn't her after all. Although his face was hidden by shadows, Sasuke saw that the person who was laughing was a boy._

"_**If anyone else tries to ridicule the way I live, I'll slaughter everyone they ever cared about. And then maybe they'll understand what it's like to taste… a little of my hatred.**__**"**_

_Suddenly, the fires __became black and the heat seemed to increase even more. The boy's eyes shone from the shadows, red and full of hatred. Then the bones came..._

_Giant bones surrounded the boy, covered by a purple and frightening aura. The bones of a giant skeleton formed over the boy and, suddenly, Sasuke wasn't watching him from afar anymore… he was… inside it…_

"Sasuke..."

_...__the skeleton gained muscles and continued to change until it became a huge purple monster._

"Sasuke!"

_The purple monster roared as__ the boy with bright eyes laughed... and everything around them was destroyed until only ashes were left. Yet, the boy… Sasuke was still laughing._

"SASUKE!"

The raven's eyes burst open, feeling someone grab him by the shoulders. Sasuke took a deep breath and coughed violently. His whole body hurt, his mouth was dry and he was completely drenched in sweat. But the worst was the heat... he was so hot... it was like being inside a burning house.

Burning... houses…

"Everything is on fire!" Sasuke yelled, trying to get rid of the arms that were holding him. "The village is on fire! Akane!"

"Shh... It's okay, Sasuke. It's over now. "

Sasuke turned his head to his left and saw someone very hazy. As his sight got better, he realized it was a blond man who was holding him, with one arm behind his back and pushing Sasuke's sweaty head against his chest.

As he felt his heartbeat through the orange shirt, Sasuke stopped struggling.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, it's me" Naruto said with a reassuring smile.

Relaxing, Sasuke's breathing calmed down. Naruto landed the child in bed again and wiped the sweat from his face with a wet and cold cloth.

"How you feeling, son?" the blond asked, moving Sasuke's bangs away from his wet forehead.

"Tired... it hurts... I'm hot..." Sasuke replied. His tired eyes fixed on his Daddy's familiar and soothing face. "I'm thirsty..."

Naruto nodded and filled a glass of water with a bottle that was on top of the nightstand. The blond slowly lifted the child's head and helped Sasuke drink the fresh water, being careful not to let him choke when the raven began to drink too quickly.

"Easy" Naruto said. "It's okay. You can drink as much as you want."

Sasuke nodded and drank it to the last drop, laying his heavy head once more in his pillow. Although he didn't feel thirsty anymore, he still felt very bad. His eyes were red and puffy, it black circles of fatigue around them. As a few drops of sweat rolled down his cheek, Naruto quickly cleaned them.

Naruto hadn't left the house for four days and virtually "camped" in Sasuke's room, surrounded by basins of fresh water, clean cloths and medicines. Some of his clones had gone to help the villagers carried the wounded from the debris and build temporary shelters until they were ready to start rebuilding the village.

A new mayor had been appointed and the villagers had already begun the arduous task of clearing the debris from their homes, burying their dead and heal the wounded.

They all treated Naruto as a hero and understood perfectly that he was concerned with treating his sick child. Still, Naruto tried to help whenever he could. Also, he told the new mayor the truth about Akane... or Misora. The man had been shocked and horrified by her story and regretted that so many people had to die because the elders had been unable to do what was right twenty years ago.

Akane had fulfilled one of her goals: all the elders had died that night. Naruto advised the new mayor to tell the villagers the truth. They had the right to know why this tragedy had happened... And also… that was the least they owned Misora. The truth.

Naruto didn't know whether the mayor would disclose this information, but he couldn't do anything else. After making sure everything was calm again, Naruto devoted all his energies to Sasuke's health.

Tsunade came back twice to look at Sasuke and said that the raven was recovering slowly but steadily. Naruto didn't feel so sure. Sasuke was pale as the sheets where he slept; he had lost weight for not eating and he had a very high fever the night before.

The Godaime reassured him and told him that this was normal... they were only the effects of chakra exhaustion. However, Naruto wasn't at all satisfied with that explanation. Sasuke was in pain! Naruto wouldn't just stay there and let his child suffer. No freaking way!

When Sasuke started to moan during his sleep, with his face writhing in pain, Naruto could take no more and had to wake him up.

"Papa?" Sasuke asked with such a tired voice that Naruto felt really scared.

"Yes?"

"I'm hot..."

"Then I guess you need to cool off then" the blond answered, trying to sound as calm and cheerful has he could.

Naruto took the little boy in his arms, grabbed a pair of washed pajamas and took him to the bathroom. Sasuke looked so tired and apathetic that Naruto felt a pang in his heart. No battle and no opponent worried him more than the weakened child in front of him.

Carefully Naruto took off his sweaty pajamas and threw it to the laundry basket, where already were two others set of pajamas and sheets. After giving Sasuke a bath and dress him in clean and fresh clothes, Sasuke had liven up a little and even asked Naruto to leave the bathroom for a while because he wanted to pee.

After drying his spiky black hair, Naruto was going to take Sasuke back to his room, but the raven stopped him.

"No... Can I go to your bed?" the boy asked, his face buried in Naruto's shoulder.

"Huh? Want to lie down on my bed?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Your bed is bigger..." Sasuke replied, without lifting his face.

"Ah! Okay" Naruto replied, unable to not smile. "If you want to rest on the big bed, it's all ours."

In response, Sasuke squeezed Naruto harder. It wasn't hard to see that Sasuke wanted to be nurtured, even if the little raven was too proud to ask directly. It was strange... just two years ago the boy would have no problem jumping to his lap and ask Naruto for a hug. As he grew, Sasuke had become less receptive to affection, although he still wanted it. For Naruto, this made him feel sad and happy at the same time. As any parent (he thought), the blond missed the affectionate and innocent baby boy who cried just because Naruto was away. But on the other hand, Naruto knew that he would not be raising well Sasuke if he didn't become increasingly independent. Besides... Naruto couldn't help but be happy to see reflections of the Sasuke he had known before manifesting itself in the child.

Sasuke was Sasuke. And always would be, regardless of the loss of memories.

However, Naruto had to admit that he also felt immensely happy when I saw bits of himself in the raven. It made him feel closer to Sasuke. It made him feel truly his father. Truthfully, there were times when the blond simply forgot about the Shiraha clan's jutsu. More than once, during conversations with other adults about Sasuke, he just forgot about the raven's adoption and spoke about him as if Naruto had conceived him like a normal child.

Naruto had said things like _"when my son was born"_ or _"my boy cried whole nights as a baby."_ He had even called him _"my Sasuke"_ more than once, only recalling later what he had said. Whenever this happened, Naruto felt guilty because he felt that he was lying and being insulting to Sasuke's parents... his biological parents. But it was stronger than him ... he couldn't help it.

Naruto didn't know the extent of the influences of his blood, DNA and chakra in the raven's body. But the blond was happy to have something of his inside Sasuke too.

And now, it was time for his son to learn more about the world he had left behind.

Naruto put the boy into bed and covered him with his blankets. Sasuke felt a bit better after having taken a bath... at least he wasn't all sweaty and sticky. His father's bed was big enough for them both to sleep on it and Sasuke, though he wouldn't admitted it, was slightly hopeful that his Dad would let him sleep with him tonight. Sasuke didn't want to be alone... he didn't want to dream about the boy with bright red eyes again. When Daddy was asleep, he would hold him close and forget his bad dreams.

The sound of his growling stomach made Sasuke blush in shame. Naruto just smiled, almost amused.

"You're hungry, huh?" the blond said. Sasuke nodded and blushed even more when his stomach rumbled again. "I'm gonna get you some food. I'll be right back!"

When Naruto left the room, Sasuke leaned against the pillow and closed his eyes. He couldn't remember ever having felt so tired... was he sick? He had to be... he felt hot and chills at the same time, so he must had a fever.

When he looked out the window, Sasuke saw the sun was high up, so it wasn't morning.

_"How long was I __sleeping?"_ the raven thought to himself, while his eyes went to the bedside table to look at the clock. However, instead of focusing on the small alarm clock, Sasuke's attention was diverted to something black on top of the bedside table.

Curious, Sasuke sat up and reached for the strange object, grabbing it with care and wonder. It was a metal plate attached to a long black cloth. In the center of the plate was a circular design.

"What is this?" Sasuke asked, turning the object in both hands.

It was then that the memories hit him like an electric shock. He remembered the fire, Akane killing Kaito-san... Akane trying to kill him and... Tou-chan had come to save him... he fought against Akane.

With a Hitai-ate on his forehead... the same forehead protector that Sasuke was holding. The forehead protector of a shinobi.

Naruto came in with a tray and a bowl of spaghetti with tomato sauce.

"Done!" Naruto said cheerfully, blinking when he saw Sasuke with his Hitai-ate in his hands. Sasuke's onyx eyes were fixed on Naruto, full of amazement and confusion.

"Tou-chan, you're a ninja?" Sasuke asked immediately.

Naruto sighed and sat up in bed, placing the tray in front of Sasuke.

"Yes" the blond finally said._ Here we go!_

"But... how can _**you**_ be a ninja?" Sasuke asked, still unable to believe it. That was Naruto they were talking about. _**His**_ Daddy! "Why didn't you tell me?"

Naruto shrugged.

"You never asked" the blond said, knowing full well that this answer would not be enough for the raven.

"I thought you helped people carry things and other stuff" Sasuke continued, trying to combine the image of his silly Dad with the amazing ninja who he saw fight. It was almost impossible.

"Well... it's one of the things I do" said Naruto. "A Shinobi does all sorts of jobs, from weeding to protect people from thieves. It's not exactly like in the stories... ninjas don't spend their entire lives in battles, although they fight in many. "

"But you look..."

"Huh? I look like what? "

"You look… wimpy."

Naruto's face alternated between shock, disbelief and, finally, outrage.

"Hey! Teme, don't call me that!" Naruto said, giving a small but effective slap on Sasuke's head. "I may be a lot of things, but I'm not _wimpy_!"

"Ow!" Sasuke rubbed his sore head. "You didn't need to hit me... I just told the truth. You seem wimpy and silly. You don't look anything like the ninjas in the stories, usuratonkachi. "

Naruto pouted.

"Don't judge people by appearance" the blond growled, still offended that Sasuke had thought that he was weak all along. Silly? Ok... maybe... but wimpy? As if!

Sasuke looked at the forehead protector in his hands and touched the symbol in the center of the metal plate.

"This is really your Hitai-ate?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto took the forehead protector and tied it around his head.

"Huh-huh... I got it when I graduated from the Ninja Academy" the blond said. "Iruka-sensei gave it to me."

Sasuke looked up.

"Iruka-sensei is a ninja too?"

"Yes... he was my teacher at the Academy in Konohagakure" Naruto pointed to the symbol on the metal plate. "This is the symbol of our village."

Sasuke looked at the circular symbol, attentive of its resemblance to a leaf. The young raven knew that there were hidden villages where the ninja lived and that each village had a symbol of their own. So was that the symbol of the Hidden Leaf Village?

Sasuke wanted to ask a lot more questions, but his stomach growled again. Naruto laughed and put the tray with food on top of his legs.

"You're really hungry, huh? Eat your noodles. Your belly looks like a trumpet symphony."

"No, it doesn't" the raven replied, trying to keep his dignity. But the hunger was stronger than pride and Sasuke quickly devoured the food. It was as if he didn't eat for ages! When he finished, he turned to his father and asked for more, that Naruto happily consented.

When he had finished eating, Sasuke felt immediately better. He didn't feel so tired anymore but still he lay down in his Dad's comfy bed. Naruto left the room and took the dirty dishes, when he returned he had a glass of orange juice and a pill for his fever. Sasuke took the pill and drank all his juice, without taking his onyx eyes from Naruto's Hitai-ate.

"Tou-chan? Why don't we live in the village?" Sasuke asked, more curious about his father's the ninja life. The raven wanted to know everything. It was like wanting to go into a magical world and discover that it existed in his home.

Naruto winced a little at the question. He had imagined that Sasuke would want to know why he wasn't raised in Konoha, but the blond had decided that he wouldn't reveal it to the raven yet. There were many things he couldn't understand or accept... Above all, Naruto didn't want Sasuke to suffer.

"Well... I made that decision after you were born" the blond replied. "Konoha had been destroyed by a very strong enemy and was still being rebuilt. The war was over not long ago and I wanted a little peace. So I thought I better travel for a while before going back to the village. "

"But you're a hero!" the child cried, making Naruto blink. "I heard the other villagers say that when you were fighting against Akane. They said you were the strongest ninja in the world! "

Naruto couldn't help blushing and scratched his neck.

"Hero? Well... I wasn't really a hero... Everybody fought in the war. They were all heroes... and I'm not the strongest ninja in the world... I mean, I am strong ... but the best? I wish! There are so many other ninjas that I could turn me into pulp. "

Sasuke continued to stare at him with a mixture of disbelief and admiration. He had finally begun to believe that his gentle and silly Papa, who he had always loved, was much more than that. Sasuke had seen a whole new side of Naruto: a strong, fearless and amazing Shinobi. The fact that Naruto wasn't bragging about it made Sasuke admire him even more.

The raven had been excited when he discovered that his Tou-san, Fugaku, and Itachi Nii-san had been ninjas. But knowing that Naruto was a ninja was completely different. It was awesome!

"We're going back to Konoha now?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto shook his head "Not yet..."

"Huh? But why?" Sasuke asked, clearly disappointed.

"Well... If we return now, I'd have to spend the whole time on missions."

"And that's not what ninjas do? That's a lot cooler than carrying furniture and that other boring stuff!"

"Yes ... the missions are usually cool. But..." Naruto looked at Sasuke in the eye. "If I went back now, I would almost always be out on missions. I wouldn't be able to be with you. "

Sasuke blinked and looked at Naruto with a gaze of astonishment on his face.

"You wanna be with me... instead of going on missions?" the boy asked, feeling warm in his chest that had nothing to do with the fever.

"Of course! You're my boy" Naruto said with sincerity. "I want to see my little boy get big and strong. That's why I'll start training you... I think you're ready for it."

Sasuke shock was immediately replaced by pure enthusiasm. Even though he felt exhausted, the boy jumped and grabbed Naruto's arms.

"Really? You're going to train me?" he asked, with a huge smile on his face.

"Believe it" the blond replied with a laugh. "Iruka-sensei will have to help me... I, ah... I was never very good at explaining things... Anyway, I already have some books and scrolls for you."

Sasuke's eyes twinkled.

"Can I read them? Can we start training today? I..." Sasuke winced when he felt his whole body ache. Naruto realized that and made him lay in bed.

"Calm down... you're running a fever. You have plenty of time to study and train, you can wait a little longer. I warn you... being a ninja is very tough, so you must be one hundred percent recovered for me to get to train with you" Naruto smirked. "Don't even think I'll go easy on you just because you're my son."

Sasuke continued to stare at his father even more excited.

"I'm gonna train a lot! You'll teach me how to fight like you fought with Akane?"

"That's my intention."

The raven could not believe it. He was going to train to become a ninja! He was gonna learn to do all those jutsus and be strong and amazing as his father. He was...

The doubt came like a slap in the face. Sasuke... wasn't like Naruto. Perhaps, no matter how much he trained, he would never become a great ninja like him... because they were too different. Because he was adopted.

People almost never thought that Naruto was his father... because Sasuke didn't resemble him at all. In fact, they were so different that it saddened Sasuke. He wanted to feel connected to Naruto... and knowing he was so different only made him feel farthest away from him.

If Sasuke didn't look like Naruto on the outside... perhaps there was no chance he could be strong like him. Because they were too different.

Naruto blinked when he saw his son's smile slowly fading, replaced by a sad and worried look.

"What's the matter, Sasuke?" the blond asked. "Are you feeling sick again?"

"No... I... that's not it ..." the boy replied, looking away.

"So what's wrong?" Naruto insisted, but the raven didn't answer him. "Sasuke... I don't like when you're unhappy, but I can't understand unless you tell me why. Don't shut me out. "

The last sentence was so sad that Sasuke's eyes widened and he stared at Naruto again.

"No! I don't want to shut you out" the raven said, fearing that the gap he felt between him and his father increased yet further. "I just... I'm scared..."

The blond was truly surprised.

"Scared? Are you scared about the training? I was half-kidding, it's not that bad and... "

"That's not it" Sasuke interrupted. "I... What if can't do it? What if I suck even if I train very hard?"

"Huh? What are you talking about? You won't know before you try. "

"But I'm not like you!" the raven cried, before the surprised face of Naruto. "You're so strong... and I... I'm not like you..."

Naruto noticed that Sasuke looked at his lightly tanned hands before staring his own pale ones. Naruto was always surprised when he realized just how insecure Sasuke could be. It was such a contrast with the arrogant genius he knew... Had Sasuke always been like this, even in the Academy? The raven had always seemed so sure of himself and his abilities.

"Sasuke... being a good ninja doesn't depend on our parent's power... of course that can help, but what really counts is the hard work" Naruto said quietly. "I know amazing shinobi who are children of civilians... people who had to work hard, but they became super strong. You _are_ strong and very talented... I saw how you train with the katana. Also, you don't have that problem. Your parents were both ninjas... your brother too. You'll do fine! "

Sasuke looked at the blond and nodded slowly.

"I know..." Sasuke said, struggling with his own complicated feelings. On the one hand, he knew his other parents and his Nii-san had been ninjas, so Sasuke also believed that he could become one. That wasn't what scared him... how could Naruto not realize that?

"So... what's wrong?" Naruto asked.

"I want to be like you too" Sasuke said, frustrated.

"Huh?"

"No one ever says I look like you" the raven revealed. "Everyone says we're nothing alike and... I wanted... and I wish we were. It's not that I don't like to be like my Nii-san and Tou-san... I like it. But... I also liked to have something from you... "

For a few seconds, Naruto didn't know how to respond. He had already decided that it was still too early to talk to Sasuke about his Kekkei Genkai. How would he explain to a child who didn't even know the difference between Konoha and Kumo about the Sharingan? Of course, Sasuke would be delighted to know that he had such a powerful genetic trait, but Naruto didn't want him to rely on his Dōjutsu so much as he did in his first life.

Nor was it safe to speak of the Uchiha clan when he was so young. It was too dangerous let people know that there was an Uchiha child still alive. Not only would they want to kidnap Sasuke to take his eyes, but they could find out the truth about the clan's last survivor.

Naruto wasn't going to hide Sasuke his heritage. The raven had every right to know who he was. But the blond felt a little apprehensive. At the end of his first life, Sasuke wasn't only loyal to his clan... he had become obsessed with it. The Uchiha was all that the raven saw before him, carrying the weight of his clan's hatred on his shoulders like a curse. So Naruto intended to tell to Sasuke the truth about his clan gradually... When he was a little older and more mature... Naruto would tell him the whole truth.

Still, knowing that Sasuke wanted to have inherited something from Naruto... it made the blond feel very happy. With an affectionate smile, Naruto lifted his hand and focused enough chakra in his palm until it became visible. The raven opened his eyes in amazement and stared at the blue chakra carefully.

"Remember when I said that I had given you my blood when I adopted you?" the blond asked. Sasuke nodded slowly, looking up momentarily from the chakra. "Well... I gave you this as well."

Sasuke continued to stare at the blue force in front of him.

"This is... chakra?" the boy asked.

"Yeah" Naruto held out his hand with chakra to Sasuke. Carefully, the child stretched out his cupped hands and received the chakra, which flickered slightly between his and Naruto's fingers like a blue flame.

"It's warm..." the raven murmured.

"Yeah... and do you see how it is oscillating? This means that is resonating" Naruto said, staring at Sasuke through the bright chakra. "It doesn't hurt you... because you and I have similar chakra. The chakra that I gave you is mixed with the chakra that you had inherited from your parents, but mine is there too... within you. "

Sasuke felt the warm energy in the palm of their hands.

"The chakra is really inside me?"

"Yes. I still don't know what or how much you have inherited from me for sure... but it's there."

"So ... you and I are alike?"

"I am your second Tou-chan" Naruto said cheerfully. "For better or for worse, you also have a part of me inside you."

Sasuke blushed and smiled. Even when the chakra vanished from their hands, the raven continued to feel its warmth. But more importantly was that he felt closer to his Dad than ever.

* * *

The next day, Sasuke had no fever and got out of bed to eat his meals in the kitchen. The raven said repeatedly that he was fine and could start training, but Naruto was unwavering on this issue. Sasuke could be better, but his bones and joints still ached. If the boy got tired when he went to the bathroom, how did he expect to stand a training day?

But Sasuke was too excited to stay quiet in bed resting. After nagging Naruto for two hours, the blond gave him a book on the basis of Ninjutsu and other about the Shinobi world society. Visibly excited, Sasuke took the books to Naruto's room and studied them in bed, absorbing all the information like a sponge.

Almost three hours later, Sasuke left the room and went to Naruto in the living room. The boy had one of the books in his hand and climbed onto the sofa, without saying a word. The blond grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around Sasuke, while the raven laid his head on his thigh, opened the book and continued reading.

"Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Are you a Kage?"

Naruto almost coughed.

"Huh? What makes you think that?" the blond asked.

"You are super strong" Sasuke replied, showing him the text he was reading. "The Kage is the strongest ninja in the village! It says so in the book! "

"Oh... well... unfortunately no, Sasuke" Naruto said, unable to avoid the sting of disappointment in his heart. He had heard recently that Sakura had finally become a Jōnin and even Konohamaru was already a Chuunin.

_"__God... I feel like I hit the bottom..."_

Sasuke blinked, confused by the shadow of gloominess that hung over his father's head.

"So what's your Rank? Are you a Jōnin?" the child insisted innocently, but Naruto shook his head, more and more depressed."No? I know! You're an ANBU!"

"No..." Naruto muttered. "I'm still a Genin..."

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Huh? But ... that is the lowest Rank" the boy cried, while Naruto looked down.

"I know ..." the blond replied with embarrassment. He finally got his son's respect and admiration, but after telling him this, Sasuke would think he was a big loser. "You have to pass the Chuunin Exam to become a Chuunin and... well... I didn't get promoted."

Sasuke stared at Naruto with his eyes full of disbelief. The boy's curiosity seemed to be endless. He wanted to know everything about the ninja world and he also wanted to know how his Dad had become one. The Genin were almost always the ninjas who were weaker and carried the easiest missions. His father was a war hero and was renowned. How could he still be a Genin?

"But why? Is the exam very difficult?"

"Yes, it's hard... the truth is that I just did the test once, when I was about thirteen" Naruto admitted. "Wow... that was a nightmare... especially the first part, with all those weird tests and questions..."

"You can't take the exam again?" Sasuke asked.

"I can... the exams are held twice a year, but... I was busy after that" Naruto revealed.

"Busy? With what?" Sasuke asked.

_"Bringing you back to the village"_ the blond though.

Naruto knew he was dealing with sensitive information, so he was careful in choosing his words. "My Shishou took me out of the village to train. I only returned to Konoha two years after. But even so, I was always busy with training and missions... and had no time to take the exam" with a dejected expression, Naruto lowered his head and whispered without thinking. "Man... you were right... I really am a Dead-Last."

Sasuke opened his mouth, confused.

"Dead-Last?"

Naruto opened his eyes and looked up. _Shit! He and his big mouth!_

"Oh... no Sasuke... forget what I said..."

"You're not a Dead-Last!" Sasuke cried.

"Huh?"

"I don't think that you're a Dead-Last" the boy continued with vehemence and fury. "I'd never call you that!"

Naruto was surprised at the emotion in Sasuke's words. The raven was genuinely angry that Naruto thought he had insulted him that way.

"You're right, Sasuke... you didn't call me that... I said it wrong..."

However, Sasuke would not quiet down.

"Someone called you Dead-Last?" the raven asked. "They called you names?"

"Ah... don't worry about it, son. It was many years ago... it doesn't matter. "

"Of course it matters!" the raven cried, not only angry but put out. How dared someone call his Dad _Dead-Last_? Yes, Naruto could be silly at times... but he was one of the strongest ninja in the world and he wasn't stupid! All Sasuke's instincts told him to find that person and hit him. No one insulted his Tou-chan. "You should kick his ass!"

The surprise on Naruto's face was replaced with a huge smile and the blond had to struggle not to laugh.

"Thanks, Sasuke," Naruto said, stroking the boy's hair. "Don't worry about me. I know to look after myself. Also, don't think that'll be a Genin forever. I'll be the next Hokage! "

"Hokage? Isn't that the Kage from the Land of Fire?" Sasuke asked.

"Yup..."

Sasuke opened the first pages of the book and showed a map to Naruto. With his finger, he pointed to a country painted red.

"Is it here?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto nodded.

"Yes. Konoha is there, in the Land Of Fire. "

Sasuke stared at the map for a few seconds, touching the page.

"But... if you're not the Hokage... who is it?" the boy asked. "Is he strong?"

"Oh! She is very strong. "

"She?"

"The Hokage is Tsunade Baa-chan."

Sasuke's jaw literally dropped.

"No way!" the raven cried, astonished. "Tsunade Baa-chan is a doctor!"

"She's the best medical ninja in the world, actually" Naruto said, smiling before the puzzled expression on Sasuke's face. It wasn't every day that you discovered that the doctor who had given you shots in the buttocks and healed your skinned knees was the leader of a ninja village. "Baa-chan has been the Hokage for almost ten years... time flies."

"But she is... she... she's a lady!"

"So what? Ladies can be very strong" Naruto said. "Don't try to fight Tsunade Baa-chan... she is can tear down a building with only one hand."

Sasuke's eyes widened in amazement.

"Really? Is she that strong?"

"You bet. Women can be very strong and frightening" said Naruto with a scared face, remembering all the times that Sakura had hit him. Hell... even his Kaa-chan could be scary!

Sasuke looked down and remembered Akane. She always seemed so friendly and so cheerful... She was one of the few adults who Sasuke thought as cool and fun. But... she had been pretending the whole time. All the times she had given them free candy and was nice to him and his classmates she had been lying.

Shinya liked her and she killed him, even though he didn't do anything wrong. He even wanted to give her flowers... But she said that she didn't care. She also had killed Kaito-san, who had gone through the village on fire because he was worried about her. But Akane killed him as if he were a bug... she had said that he was annoying and she didn't need him anymore.

Waking up from his reverie, Naruto noticed that the boy seemed suddenly sad and thoughtful.

"What are you thinking, Sasuke?"

"Huh? I was thinking about Akane..." said the raven.

Naruto sat up on the couch.

"And what are you thinking about her?"

Sasuke looked out the window in the living room and saw the charred houses in the village's center. He could still smell smoke even after five days.

"She killed Kaito-san... and Shinya..." the raven said. "She was going to kill me too... and you. She was always so nice, but it was all pretend. She was evil... like a monster. "

Naruto looked at Sasuke's neck.

"She was very angry and hurt," Naruto said softly. "Her parents were killed by a man who no one wanted to punish..."

Sasuke stared at Naruto with an angry expression.

"But she didn't have to kill the other people" Sasuke said. "Shinya and Kaito-san loved her... and she killed them and laughed. Why aren't you angry at her? I hate her!"

"You're right... what she did was wrong and mean. But she was not the only one who did wrong ... the elders should have done what was right if they knew who had killed her parents."

"You don't hate her?" Sasuke asked, very surprised. "She tried to kill you too. Why aren't you angry at her? "

Naruto looked Sasuke in his eyes.

"Because I understand how she felt" Naruto said softly, astonishing the child. "When someone we love is killed, it's incredibly painful... like a hole in our heart. Then the anger and hatred come and fill that hole... Akane felt she needed to do something, because she couldn't stand idly while no one paid for taking her parents' way from her. Her hatred grew and consumed everything else. That... is revenge. "

"Revenge?"

"Revenge makes you obsessed until you can't think of anything else. You go mad... and become a different person. You only think about getting our revenge and nothing else matters... as long as you can have your revenge, you don't care who you have to step on and you hurt people, not just those who have wronged you... but even your friends. Those who got hurt also want revenge later. It's a cycle of hatred and destruction that never stops."

Sasuke remembered the dream he had with the boy inside the purple monster and felt cold. He knew that boy was the same monster that he saw when he was trapped inside a nightmare when he was little.

"Akane killed her boyfriend and his siblings because she thought she was going to feel better afterwards. But that didn't happen… she felt empty and needed to punish everyone else for her sorrow. That's what happens when hatred consumes you… it eats you alive until there is no room for other feelings. She would never have peace; even she killed everyone in the village. That wouldn't bring her parents back, which was what she really wanted."

Although he couldn't understand why, Sasuke wanted to cry. He felt as if his Dad was talking about him, even if that didn't make any sense.

Naruto was going to continue talking, but noticed that Sasuke was upset. His eyes were fixed on Naruto... big and frightened. His shoulders were shaking under the blanket.

The blond landed a warm hand on Sasuke's head and stroked his hair. The raven landed the book on the floor and leaned his face against Naruto's chest. He didn't understand how or why... but a single word formed on his lips, whispered in silence against his father's jersey.

_"__Sorry"_

* * *

A week later, Tsunade came to visit them and, at Naruto's request, she brought her Hokage hat so Sasuke could see it and touch it. Naruto felt a childish need to grab the hat, put it on the head and yell _"It's finally mine!"_, but decided to listen to his wise side (yeah, he had one!) and heard Sasuke ask Tsunade how was it like to be the Hokage, take care of the village and how Konoha was like.

After an hour of conversation, Sasuke decided that he didn't want to be Hokage. Going on secret missions, strong, silent and swift as a shadow, was an idea that sounded a lot more appealing. Tsunade laughed with the raven's statements and said he would make a good ANBU, unlike his boisterous father. Naruto fought back strongly, and only hushed when Tsunade said that Naruto's own clothes made him a living target. The blond refused to stop wearing orange.

"You look like a walking pumpkin. You're going to live up to your epithet" said Tsunade. "_Konoha's Orange Hokage_... God help me."

"_The Legendary Sucker_ is a lot worse, Baa-chan" Naruto said, getting a slap in the head as punishment.

Before falling asleep, Sasuke found out that Naruto had other epithets far more glorious. _The Child of Prophecy _and _Savior of this World_, because his father had saved Konoha from an enemy that no one, not even the Hokage, was able to stop and also because it was thanks to him that they had won the war.

Naruto could be just a Genin, but Sasuke knew that didn't mean he was weak. Sasuke would never think of his father as weak again. The raven had always loved him deeply but only now he realized just how amazing his Dad was. A true hero... a lot better than in the stories. Driven by these thoughts, Sasuke fell asleep still sitting at the kitchen table.

Before Tsunade left, she gave Naruto a scroll with information on the next village where they would be staying and where they were expected. An ancient clan, ally of Konoha, was waiting for them. It would be the ideal place to begin Sasuke's ninja training, without fear of being discovered.

Naruto took the scroll and took leave of the Hokage.

* * *

Father and son had emptied the rented house and were ready to leave Maruki, carrying only a small backpack. Sasuke had been amazed when Naruto summoned several frogs to take all their other stuff to Mount Myōboku.

The villagers came to see them off, thanking Naruto in tears and cheers. Sasuke took leave of his friends and promised that they would see each other again one day. Chie cried so much that Sasuke had no choice but to let her give him a hug but stopped her when she wanted to give him a goodbye kiss. Junko also hugged Sasuke and he asked her to lay flowers for him at Shinya's grave. With a sad smile, Junko accepted.

The new mayor came up to Naruto and told him that would reveal the whole truth to the villagers. The blond nodded solemnly, feeling glad that Misora and her parents would be given some justice after all.

"Tou-chan" Sasuke said, getting closer to Naruto. "Are we going?"

"Yes" the blond replied. "It's time."

"So this is your boy? I haven't met him yet" the new mayor said, looking at Sasuke from up to bottom.

"Yes. This is Sasuke" Naruto said, placing a hand on his son's shoulders.

The mayor knelt down and looked at Sasuke in the eye. The raven had received that look many times... it was the look of someone who didn't believe that Sasuke was Naruto's son. However, instead of being surprised, the mayor smiled and nodded.

"Yes... I see. You two have the same gaze, filled with life" the man said, turning to Sasuke. "I heard that you went through the village in flames and faced Akane. I expected nothing less from Naruto-sama's son... You have inherited his spirit; I can see it just by looking at your eyes."

Sasuke felt his cheeks blush, while Naruto smiled proudly.

"Of course. He's my son after all" the blond said.

As they walked away from the village, Sasuke smiled with joy. It was the first time... that was the first time someone said that he looked like his Daddy. Someone saw that they were family.

"Why are you laughing, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing..." the boy replied. But after a few seconds, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand and squeezed it hard, just happy to be his father's son.

* * *

**That was it. I didn't want Naruto to reveal everything to Sasuke on one chapter. I believe it would be best if the info was revealed gradually.**

**Also, I've written a few Databook like info about Sasuke on my Deviantart page (the link is on my profile page). Nothing special… just his age, height and weight during each Arc of this story and some other info. If you're interested please check it out.**

**Out of curiosity: Junko, Chie and Noriaki are the first names of Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke's japanese voice actors respectively. **

**See ya!**


	41. Past and Present

**Hi there! First of all, I'd like to thank ****Azul0blue0sky**** and ****Princessvegata**** from devianArt who took time to make illustrations based on this Fanfic. Once again, thanks!**

**Again, spoiler warning for recent manga chapters.**

**PS: dreams don't usually make sense (at least mine doesn't). **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Past and Present**

過去と現在 _(Kako to genzai)_

When the dark-green frog came out of nowhere, right on top of the scroll where Iruka was writing, the sensei couldn't help it and yelled in fright.

"What the hell is this?" Iruka yelled, falling from his chair.

The frog was small but well-spoken. He politely ignored the sensei's screams and curses and waited until he calmed down before telling him why he had come.

"Naruto asked me to ask you if you don't mind to lend him some tools from the Academy" the frog said.

"Na-Naruto? Naruto sent you?"

"Exactly, sir. Sasuke is starting his ninja training. Naruto said he had spoken to the Hokage-sama about this already and she had approved. "

Rising from the floor, Iruka looked around, making sure nobody was listening. Naruto had been smart, he knew Iruka usually stayed at the Academy after the classes were over to organize the next day class. Also, he was lucky that his fellow teachers, Suzume and Daikoku, had already gone home too.

"Sasuke is gonna start his training?" Iruka repeated.

The little toad nodded.

"Yes. The little one is very eager about it."

Iruka sighed and smiled.

"So the time has come, huh? I guess Sasuke is thrilled."

"Yes," replied the frog. "He can't wait. Naruto was teaching him how to make hand seals now."

"Oh! That should be interesting to see" Iruka said. _"Naruto was always getting those wrong when he was at the Academy. He never had much dexterity to do hand seals... especially if they were too many and he had to be fast. He always ended up cheating or forgetting a seal and the jutsu ended up being a disaster. Damn... the times that I stayed with him training until he got one sequence right. But it was worth it… he could be slow, but he worked hard."_

"Sasuke was having trouble with some of the seals" the frog remarked, with a smile.

"Sasuke? Having _trouble_? "Iruka asked, genuinely surprised. Sasuke was the only student he knew who had been able to learn all the seals perfectly in a single lesson. "Are you sure Naruto is teaching it right? Maybe I should go to them."

"There's no need. Naruto is not very fast, but he knows how to teach the basics. Sasuke wants to learn too fast and get's them wrong because of his own enthusiasm."

The expression of surprise in Iruka's face was replaced by a soft smile "Really? Who knew... Apparently, Sasuke inherited more from Naruto than I expected."

The sensei left the room, went to the library and took out several books and scrolls. Then he went to the storeroom.

When Iruka came back to the teachers' room, he was carrying three heavy bags. One of the bags contained only scrolls about the most basic types of Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and Taijutsu, when Sasuke had studied them all, he would give him more. The other bags had a complete set of shuriken, kunai, a Fūma Shuriken, several targets for training and a wooden puppet.

The frog opened his mouth wide and swallowed the three bags as if they were candy.

"I think that's everything they will need for now" Iruka said. "If Naruto needs something else, he can contact me at home after school. It's safer."

"Got it, sir" the frog replied. "Goodbye!"

The frog disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving the sensei again alone in the room. Iruka tried to focus on his work, but the frog's visit awakened him memories about Sasuke and Naruto when he trained them at the Academy.

* * *

_It took one second for Sasuke to grab Naruto and immobilize him on the floor. Their first sparring match had been __pitifully short. _

_As the crowd, specially the girls, cheered Sasuke's coolness, the raven kept staring at Naruto in the ground with a bitter gaze. _

"_Sasuke wins!" Iruka said. "Now, both of you make the "reconciliation" seal and we'll move on…"_

"_I'm not even on your radar, is that it you butthead?" Naruto screamed in anger, as Sasuke turned his back and coolly walked away. "No, you're not just a butthead! You're a dribbling dried piece of crap, that's what you are!"_

_Iruka went to the blond and smacked him in the head._

"_OW!"_

"_I told you that shinobi spars are a __**sacred tradition**__!" Iruka yelled. "Now make the "reconciliation" seal, damn it!"_

_Glaring at each other, Naruto and Sasuke raised both of their hands… and grabbed each other's collars._

"_You wanna fight, drop-out?" Sasuke said._

"_Hmph!" Naruto snorted._

"_Enough already!" Iruka said as he separated the two boys. _

_Naruto couldn't take it anymore and started running towards the fence. _

"_You suck, Naruto!" screamed the other children._

"_What's your problem?"_

_Wound up__, Naruto replied by sticking his tongue out and jumping the fence so he could run away from the Academy, but not before glaring at Sasuke one last time._

* * *

He had to separate those two boys more times than he could remember. Iruka usually took Naruto out to eat Ramen when the blond was defeated by the genius Uchiha and felt depressed and frustrated. Naruto never said it, but Iruka knew that he admired Sasuke and wanted the raven to acknowledge him as an equal. The sensei also suspected that Naruto wanted to become friends with Sasuke, but the blond was too stubborn and jealous and Sasuke was too arrogant and self-centered.

And now, Naruto was teaching Sasuke to be a ninja again.

Knowing that he wouldn't get any work done, Iruka decided to return home. After a long day at work with a bunch of eight year old kids, what he needed was a hot bath and a good meal.

_"That's it! I'm going to the hot springs and then go to __Ichiraku Ramen"_ he decided.

As he walked through the quiet streets of the village, Iruka looked at the carved faces in the old Hokage Mountain, one of the few things that hadn't been destroyed when Pain invaded and destroyed Konoha. The Hokage continued to watch over the village, as always. To Iruka, that had been a comforting thought... Even if everything else changed, some things remained the same. And who knows? Perhaps within a few years, Naruto's head of would also be there.

_"__The Sandaime would be proud"_ Iruka thought with nostalgia. _"The Yondaime too."_

Still thinking to himself, Iruka stopped in the middle of the road. Kakashi was leaning over a bridge, also looking at Hokage Mountain.

"Kakashi-san!" Iruka greeted, approaching the Jōnin.

With his usual undisturbed look, Kakashi stared at Iruka and nodded in response.

"Yo" the white-haired man said.

"Are you enjoying the landscape?" Iruka asked.

"Actually, I was resting a little before going home," Kakashi said, turning to the Mountain. "I was a little lost in my own thoughts."

"It's good to take some time to think."

"Yes," Kakashi stared at the Fourth Hokage's face. Like the girls, he too had seen the photo that Ino had taken from Naruto. Kakashi wasn't easily surprised, but his eyes widened when he saw Minato-sensei reflected in Naruto's features.

What would the Yondaime say if he knew that his son had become father himself? Heck! Even Jiraiya-sama would be astounded. Kakashi assumed they would both be happy with Naruto when the shock passed. As it had happened with Kakashi.

However, Kakashi felt something wasn't right. Knowing Naruto as he knew, he would have brought the child to Konoha instead of taking care of a baby alone. Also, he would want his son to grow up in the village and show him to everyone instead of hiding him like a secret.

There was definitely something odd in that story.

"Iruka?"

"Yes?"

Kakashi stared at the Academy teacher.

"You knew that Naruto had a son longer than us, is it not?"

Iruka tensed, but his voice remained calm.

"Ah... yes, I knew. How do you...?"

"Last year, you were talking with Shizune about Naruto" Kakashi explained. "You two were talking that he got someone pregnant. That means you and her already knew everything last year, at least. "

_"This isn't a question, it's a statement__"_ although Kakashi was talking quietly, Iruka couldn't help but feel under interrogation. The man had belonged to the ANBU... he also had been a child prodigy... Obviously the Academy teacher felt intimidated, he would be stupid if he didn't.

"Yes... I... Shizune-san and I know for about a year" Iruka admitted. "Tsunade-sama told us because we found documents on the child in her office."

"Documents?"

"Yes... blood tests. The Hokage-sama is always in contact with Naruto and his son. "

Kakashi was thoughtful for a few seconds.

"She goes to them through the Reverse Summoning, right?"

"Ah... yes... exactly..." Iruka said. There was no way he could lie and fool Kakashi, it was best to turn the conversation to another topic. "She visits them when Naruto calls. For all I know, Naruto is doing very well with the child. He's a strong and healthy boy. "

"I see..."

Iruka took the silence to end the conversation.

"Well... I have to go before the hot springs close" Iruka said. "See you around, Kakashi-san. Give my regards to Sakura. "

Kakashi nodded slowly.

"Okay. Goodbye, Iruka."

Trying not to breathe with relief, Iruka turned his back and began walking.

"One more thing, Iruka" Kakashi called, making the teacher's eyes wide.

"Yes?"

"The boy. Naruto's son..." Kakashi said softly. "What's his name? It's been months since Shikamaru told us about him, but nobody told us his name."

Iruka turned to stare at Kakashi, but his gaze was wistful.

"Sasuke" the sensei said, while Kakashi's uncovered eye widened. "Naruto named him Sasuke."

* * *

Thousands of miles from Konoha, under the dusk light, Naruto and Sasuke continued to walk down the small road through the forest. They were walking since early morning, having made a few stops to eat and rest their sore legs. However, whenever they stopped, Sasuke took a scroll from his backpack and resumed his studies. When they walked, the raven wanted to train.

Sasuke had become noticeably more energetic and less patient than in his first life. Naruto couldn't help remembering himself at that age; he was exactly like that when he entered the Academy... though he usually liked to talk big and show-off. Sasuke was still an introverted child.

Looking to the side, Naruto saw the little boy making hand seals repeatedly as he walked, muttering a frustrated _Tsk_ when he got one wrong.

"The sun is about to set up" Naruto said. "We have to stop and camp for the day before it gets dark. Here! This seems to be a good place."

Sasuke looked up from his hands.

"Huh? We'll have dinner now?" the boy asked.

"Yes, but we need wood for the fire."

"I'll go look with you" Sasuke said, untangling his tired fingers.

The two together didn't take long to find enough firewood for a good fire. While Naruto rubbed two sticks, Sasuke watched him intently.

"You're looking very serious" Naruto said, smiling when a small flame appeared in the wood.

"I'm learning" Sasuke said. "A ninja has to camp many times, right? So I have to learn how to make fire too. "

"True" Naruto admitted. "When we went on missions, sometimes it took days or even weeks to complete them and we had to sleep outdoors or in caves when it was cold or raining. Learning how to make a fire came in handy but, fortunately, I didn't have to do it many times."

The sun stood behind the Rocky Mountains, giving the sky a pink shade that would soon become dark blue. The temperature had also dropped considerably, so Sasuke stretched his arms towards the flames to keep himself warm.

"Why is that?" the child asked, with his innocent onyx eyes attentive to Naruto.

"Because there was almost always someone on our team who could use the Katon" the blond ninja said, remembering how Kakashi quickly lit a fire rather than spending several minutes with sticks and stones. Sasuke himself had also done it several times… and even Jiraiya.

"Katon?" the boy asked.

"Katon is a fire technique" said Naruto. "A ninja who can use Katon can create fire."

"I know!" Sasuke said. "It's one of the nature transformation types. There are five of them! Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth and Water."

Naruto blinked.

"Heh! You already studied that?"

"Of course" replied Sasuke, smiling with pride.

"Smart-aleck. Next month, Iruka-sensei is gonna make you a test, let's see how you do."

"A test?" Sasuke asked. "About what?"

"About what you've learned so far" the blond answered. "Then you'll get a report card."

"I'm gonna get the top scores!" the raven haired boy exclaimed. "You'll see!"

Naruto grinned.

"That will mean that I'm a great teacher!"

"Nuh-huh!" Sasuke exclaimed. "It'll mean I'm super smart!"

"Hey! Don't get cocky, you brat" Naruto answered, playfully slapping Sasuke's head.

Naruto had to admit he was impressed. Sasuke had only begun studying for eight days and he had learned more than Naruto was able to in a month at the Academy. Of course, the raven was a natural genius and his concentration ability was impressive. Sasuke was also very excited about the studies and could not wait to start the practical training.

Sasuke continued to train the hand seals while Naruto went to get food and water in his backpack. Even when the hot soup in a small pot was ready, the raven continued to train. The dragon seal, the bird and the horse were always those where Sasuke always got wrong, making the boy huff in annoyance and frustration.

"Dinnertime" Naruto said, handing a bowl of soup to the child.

"Wait a little longer. I almost got it" Sasuke said, getting the horse seal wrong again. "Crap!"

"If you're angry, you get distracted. You've been training those seals for hours... You are going to take a break and have dinner."

"But Tou-chan..."

"No "_buts_". You have to eat to get your strength back" Naruto ordered, surprising himself with the firm tone of voice... He talked like Kakashi-sensei. "C'mon... after dinner, you can keep training. If you want, we can train together."

Sasuke accepted the bowl of steaming soup and stared at Naruto with an excited smile.

"Really? You'll train with me?"

"I have to train too" Naruto said with a grin. "A shinobi must keep himself in good shape. Besides, hand seals have never been my forte. The more they are, the more I make a mistake."

"You get them wrong too?" Sasuke asked, surprised.

"Oh, yeah. I was never very good at memorizing stuff... And a jutsu that requires a dozen hand seals scares the hell out of me. I'm always getting them wrong."

The blond smiled. It was nice to talk with Sasuke about the shinobi world. To teach him. The blond never imagined himself as a sensei, even though he had taught some techniques to Konohamaru. Naruto didn't think he had what it took or patience to teach kids when he still felt like a kid.

But he was no longer a kid, he was an adult.

As he watched Sasuke eat his soup and nibbling his rice ball, Naruto remembered fondly the time when was traveling with Jiraiya. It had been hard and wearing. There had been many times when Naruto had felt exasperated with the Sannin, not understanding the reason of his training or his methods. When Jiraiya decided to stop training for _"research"_ for his perverted books, the blond almost exploded with indignation.

But... it was fun. Maybe it was because Naruto was older now and had matured a little, but looking back and remembering the training, the blond Jinchuriki realized that Jiraiya was a great shishou.

_"Sorry not telling you that while you were here"_ Naruto thought, looking at the full moon. _"You were the best teacher anyone could have. Keep looking out for me... Okay, Ero-Sennin? "_

Sasuke lifted his head above his onigiri and saw that his father was smiling at the sky, with a distant look.

"Tou-chan?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you smiling?" the boy asked.

"Ah... I was thinking about my Shishou" Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. "I was remembering when he and I trained during our travels."

"Your Shishou?" Sasuke asked. "I thought that after graduating from the Academy, the ninja were trained by a Jōnin sensei in a team... Do all ninjas have a shishou?"

"No, not all of them. Sometimes, a powerful ninja takes special interest in a younger one and decides to train him or her as a promising apprentice. I was in a three-man team and I had a Jōnin sensei as our guide, but a very strong ninja decided he would make me his apprentice."

Sasuke swallowed the rest of his onigiri and stared at his Dad with interest.

"He's very strong? Your Shishou? "

"Yes... His name was Jiraiya and was he known as one of the legendary Sannin" Naruto said. "He was Tsunade Baa-chan's teammate and was trained by the Third Hokage."

"Wow! He must be very strong then. "

"He was incredibly strong! He was also my Tou-chan's sensei."

"He trained grandpa?"

"Yup! He told people that I was like his grandson" Naruto said with a smile. "It was like we were a family, though he was a big old perv. I called him Ero-Sennin and he hated it... Good times... The two of us were always arguing, but he was the best Shishou the world. "

Sasuke blinked.

"Was?"

Though he continued to smile, Naruto's blue eyes were sad.

"Yes, he... he died a few years ago" the blond said. "I miss him..."

"How did he die?" Sasuke asked.

"He was killed during a mission."

"Killed? But you said he was strong!"

"Even the strongest shinobi die" Naruto said, facing the confused child. "Sometimes it's not enough to be strong... strong ninja can be defeated by a weaker one if he or she is smarter, faster, if the other ninja is careless, or even if the stronger ninja is too arrogant and underestimates the opponent. But, Ero-Sennin didn't die because he was arrogant or stupid. The ninja that killed him was super strong and Ero-Sennin had a mission: to deliver information to the village. He did not die in vain, it was thanks to his information that the other ninja was defeated. "

Sasuke was thoughtful for a moment. He knew that the ninja died, it was obvious, but he never thought much about it.

"In the stories, the good guys always win and the bad die" Sasuke said innocently. "That's how it should be!"

"I agree with you" Naruto said. "But unfortunately there aren't just good people and bad people in this world. Ninjas are hired to complete missions and sometimes have to fight other ninjas from other villages who were also hired by others. During these fights, there are ninjas who die. Being a ninja is dangerous. We risk our lives when we have a mission. Things improved greatly after the war. All the villages have formed an alliance and the shinobi try not to meddle in the affairs of other villages and keep the peace. Before, it was a lot worse. "

Sasuke stared at the flames, absorbed in his own thoughts. The shinobi life was more complicated than he thought. There was so much that Sasuke didn't know yet... and he had to admit he was a bit afraid of dying. But just a little...

Ninja risked their lives and were brave. Sasuke had to be brave too, like his father was. His other parents and his Nii-san also should have been brave as well, or else they would not have been good shinobi.

The little raven's eyes widened. If his parents and his older brother were ninjas... did this mean that Sasuke had also been a ninja?

"Tou-chan?" the raven asked. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course. Ask away, if I can answer it..."

Sasuke hesitated for a few seconds.

"Was I a ninja?"

Naruto's eyes widened involuntarily.

"You said that my Nii-san was a ninja. My Kaa-san and my Tou-san were ninjas too. So... was I also one when I was a grown up?"

A breeze ruffled Naruto's hair and several loose leaves from the trees surrounded them. A leaf fluttered to the ground, falling between Naruto and Sasuke.

"Yes" Naruto replied. "You were a ninja."

The raven's black eyes widened with surprise. His curiosity and enthusiasm were soon to follow.

"I was? And how was I? Was I good?" the child asked with his eyes shining.

Naruto felt his throat tight, but when he spoke, his voice was calm.

"You were a strong and very cool ninja" the blond said. "Many other ninjas wanted to be as strong as you."

_"Especially me__"_ Naruto thought.

"Eh! That is so cool!" Sasuke said. "Was I from Konoha too?" Naruto nodded. "Great! You and I are from the same village, Tou-chan! Isn't it cool?"

"Very cool" Naruto said, trying to conceal the sadness in his voice.

Abstracted from the sadness in Naruto's eyes, Sasuke could barely contain his enthusiasm. He had been a shinobi before! That was so awesome! He had belonged to the same village as his Tou-chan, which meant that his parents and Itachi had also been Konoha ninjas. Sasuke only regretted that his brother's jutsu had made him forget everything. It would be so cool to be able to remember his adventures and his jutsus. It was a shame he couldn't remember what he had learned...

"I wish I could remember" the boy said, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting. "It'd be so cool if I could remember the jutsus... Now I'll have to learn everything again. That sucks!"

Naruto remained silent.

"Nii-san could have gotten a better jutsu" Sasuke muttered. "He could have found out a jutsu that would let me have my memories. I want to be a shinobi now, but I can't 'cause I don't remember. I also liked to remember him, my Tou-san and Kaa-san. Stupid dumb jutsu!"

Naruto stood up and took the dirty dishes. When he looked at the raven, he tried to smile.

"Yeah... I understand that must suck for you. If I were in your place, I would also want to know all the ninja techniques already" the blond said. "Don't be upset with Itachi... he used that jutsu to save you."

Sasuke continued to sulk. If his brother hadn't used that jutsu, Sasuke would still be ninja.

"I know... But I wish he had used a different jutsu."

Naruto nodded slowly.

"Well... I'll go wash the dishes in the river nearby" the blond Jinchuriki said. "I'll be back in a minute so be good, ok? Take care of our backpacks."

"Ok" the raven said as Naruto disappeared among the trees with the dirty bowls and two canteens.

With a sigh, Sasuke got up and went to get another book from his backpack. He opened the book in the chapter dedicated to Konohagakure and read about the Hokage Mountain, where the faces of the previous Hokage had been carved. The raven thought he should have seen that mountain many times when had been in Konoha, but now, like all his other memories, he couldn't remember how the mountain looked like, no matter how much he tried.

Tou-chan had said he had seen him before, so Sasuke would probably have been a lot older than him. Maybe he had been a powerful Jōnin or an ANBU… or even a ninja police like his father.

Even if Sasuke had been sick and sad, there should have been another way to heal him, right? It would have been great if his Nii-san hadn't used a jutsu that turned into a baby without any memories. Why didn't his brother find another jutsu instead? A jutsu that would cure Sasuke from his head disease and let him keep on being a ninja? If Itachi hadn't used that dumb jutsu, Sasuke would be now a very powerful ninja and wouldn't have to learn everything... all over again...

Exhausted, the little raven yawned and rubbed his tired eyes. Since it was a little cold, Sasuke took the blanket from his bag and wrapped himself in it. He was just gonna rest his eyes a bit, then he'd continue to read and would train his hand seals.

After two minutes, the book slipped from his tiny hands and Sasuke fell asleep leaning against the backpacks, warmed by the hot flames.

* * *

When the soup bowls were clean and the two water bottles filled with fresh water, Naruto wiped his wet hands to his pants, stood up and moved away from the small stream. The talk he had with Sasuke had left him more upset than he expected. How would Sasuke react when he discovered the whole truth? How would he feel when he found out that he and Naruto had been teammates and then enemies?

The boy was so full of hope about the future and seemed so pleased to be a Konoha shinobi. If he knew he had hated the village and tried to destroy it with all his strength... how would he react?

Taking a deep breath, Naruto tried to calm himself. Sasuke was still very young and it was still too early to reveal his whole past. The best thing to do was reveal it slowly and carefully. Naruto didn't want to crush Sasuke... or lose him again, because this time would be a thousand times worse.

Naruto had been devastated when he lost his best friend, but he wouldn't bear to lose his son.

Suddenly, a small dark green frog appeared in a cloud of white smoke.

"Good evening!" the frog greeted cheerfully.

"Oh, hi! Did you talk to Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked, approaching the frog.

"Yes" the green frog opened his mouth and spat the three bags on the floor. "Here are the things that you asked. He said that if you need more, you just have to ask. "

"Hm... Thank you, Gamashin" Naruto said, peeking into the bags.

"If you don't need me anymore, I'm going home, okay?"

"You can go. Thanks again."

"Anytime" the frog cried, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Inside the bags, Naruto found several scrolls and books and even targets so they could train kunai and shuriken throwing. Wow! Iruka-sensei had even borrowed them a doll to practice Taijutsu.

"Sasuke will be happy" Naruto muttered, picking up the three bags and returning to the camp. "Sasuke! I'm back! Want to train the hand seals now?"

To his surprise, the child was sound asleep, wrapped in a blanket. With a smile, Naruto put his bags on the floor and lay Sasuke on another blanket. The raven murmured something when Naruto took him in his arms, but he didn't wake.

"You were really tired, huh?" the blond whispered. In response, Sasuke pulled his feet to his chest and clung to the warm blanket.

Still smiling, Naruto decided to make his own bed. He also needed a good night's sleep.

* * *

_Sasuke moved through the streets of the village slow__ly but steady, trying to prevent the other passersby from noticing that he couldn't wait to get home. When he arrived, he opened the door slowly and took off his dark gray sandals._

_"Tadaima" he shouted into the house._

_"O kaeri" his mom said, coming down the stairs with laundry basket. "How was your day?"_

_"It went well__" Sasuke said. "Is Tou-san home?"_

_Mikoto nodded._

_"He's in the living room__" she said._

_Sasuke ran to his bedroom and took the report card of his bag. Smiling, the raven walked into the living room._

_"Tou-san?" h__e said before opening the door. "May I come in?"_

_"Come in__" said a firm voice._

_Sasuke opened the sliding door and entered the room. Fugaku was sitting on the floor, on top of a pillow and was reading the newspaper. With his heart pounding, Sasuke kneeled in front of his father, holding the report card like a treasure._

_"What do you want?" Fugaku asked, looking up over his newspaper._

_"I... Today I got my report card" Sasuke stretched the piece of paper in his father's direction so he would pick it up._

_Impassively, Fugaku landed the newspaper and took the report card of his youngest child, opening it slowly._

_With his c__heeks slightly flushed, Sasuke smiled in anticipation. He had the best grades in his class in all subjects. Even better, he had the top score in every class._

_Finally, his father would recognize his skills and praise him. Sasuke trained so much for this, but it was worth it. Every time he practiced, he'd imagined his father's face, filled with pride, praising him for a job well done. His father would say he was outstanding, a genius and that he expected nothing less of his child. Fugaku would finally look and admire Sasuke with pride and respect._

_As he did with Itachi._

_Fugaku looked at the report card before staring at his son._

_"Keep this up, and you may one day be the same as your brother" Fugaku said._

_Sasuke's eyes widened and his smile vanished from his face. His father put down his report card on the floor, got up and left the room without telling him anything else... he didn't even smiled or touched him._

_When the sound of Fugaku's steps disappeared, Sasuke looked down and felt his lips trembling. Disappointment tore his heart. No matter how much he tried, as much as he trained, Sasuke would never be better than Itachi... the golden son, the prodigy, the son their father only cared about..._

_Sasuke was tired of trying and trying to make his father proud of him and never __thrive while Itachi succeeded in every turn._

_With a sudden movement, the raven picked up the report card and shot out of the house, running nonstop. When it started raining, Sasuke slowed the pace. The rain soaked his clothes, skin and hair. His sandals were muddy... but the raven didn't care. Even when the cold became unbearable, Sasuke continued to walk._

_There were people passing by on the street, but he could only see blurs in front of __him. He didn't even realize that he was crying._

_It was the sound of happy voices and a bright light that made him stop in front of what looked like a restaurant. Several people entered the building, smiling and chatting with each other. Sasuke was about to walk away when a person blond, dressed in orange, came in his field of vision._

_"Tou-chan" Sasuke muttered, before running towards the blond._

_Naruto stopped and looked back, while all his friends entered the restaurant. Sasuke ran up to him and stopped less than a meter away, breathless but happy._

_He was so happy that his Daddy was here._

_The two stared at each other for some time. Naruto, dry and sheltered from the rain by the roof of the restaurant, Sasuke, soaked to the bone, covered in mud and still carrying his wet report card in one hand._

_"Naruto?" s__omeone asked. "Aren't you coming?"_

_Inside the restaurant, a group of people were watching them with curiosity stamped on their faces. Sasuke could have sworn that Shikamaru, Choji and Ino were there, but he wasn't sure._

_When the raven looked Naruto in the eyes, felt that something was different. It was as if they were both the same height. Even so, Sasuke smiled. He was just glad his Daddy was here._

_However, Naruto continued to stare at him with a confused expression._

_"Who are you?" the blond asked._

_Sasuke's eyes widened with alarm and fear._

_"You don't__... you don't remember me?" the raven asked, feeling his heart beating erratically. "It's me, Tou-chan. Don't you know me?"_

_Naruto shook his head._

_"You must be confusing me with somebody else" Naruto said. "I don't know you."_

_Sasuke gasped. This could not be happening... it could not be true._

_"Dad__... Dad, please. Tell me that you remember me" almost desperately, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm. "Tell me you didn't forget me... please."_

_Naruto merely kept looking at him with a puzzled expression._

_"I'm sorry... but you'__re wrong. I don't know who you are" the blond said, pulling his arm and getting rid of Sasuke. "I don't have a son."_

_Turning his back to Sasuke, Naruto went into the restaurant and closed the door, leaving Sasuke alone in the rain. The report card fell from his hand into a puddle of water, where the ink was completely dissolved until it became a ruined and stained piece of paper._

* * *

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes, feeling his bare feet cold because they weren't under the blanket. Trembling, the boy pulled his legs to his stomach and hugged himself.

The sky was getting lighter, which meant the sun was about rise. He could hear the sound of the birds in the trees, as if they had just awakened to a new day.

Slowly, Sasuke turned to the side and saw that the fire had been extinguished. The two backpacks were leaning against the trunk of a tree and, not far from the raven, Naruto was fast asleep, curled up in his own blanket like a ball.

_"I don'__t know you."_

Feeling a chill, Sasuke pulled the blanket and got up. Swallowing hard, the raven went towards the slumbering blond.

"_You must be confusing me with somebody else. I don't know you."_

The child knelt down next to Naruto and looked at him intently, his hands shaking with anxiety.

_"I don'__t know who you are. I don't have a son."_

With care, the boy shook Naruto's shoulders. Sasuke's eyes were burning, he could feel the tears behind them. But he continued shaking Naruto until the blond opened one sleepy eye and looked at him.

"Ah...? Wha... what is going on?" the blond asked, blinking slowly. "Is it morning?"

Sasuke opened his mouth but no sound came out, so he bit his lip.

Naruto looked at the still dark sky and groaned. He was so tired and was still so early. Why did he have to awake up? Hell, he wanted to sleep!

Then the blond ninja noticed that Sasuke was kneeling in front of him, his eyes red and very bright, as if he was about to cry.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "You okay, son?"

Without saying a word, Sasuke lifted the blankets and lay down next to Naruto, leaning his small body to his father's. Still drowsy, Naruto hugged the boy.

With his face on his Dad's chest, Sasuke felt the panic that had invaded his heart gradually lessen.

If his brother hadn't used the jutsu, Sasuke would probably be an old man now. His parents had died, his Nii-san too... and Sasuke would be all alone.

"What happened, Sasuke? Are you cold?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke clung to his father tighter.

"Huh-huh…" the little boy answered.

In response, Naruto rubbed his back to warm him up.

If Itachi hadn't used that jutsu, Naruto wouldn't be his father now. Sasuke had told Naruto that he wished Itachi had used another jutsu... but if his big brother had used another jutsu, Sasuke wouldn't be Naruto's son… he would be somebody else.

He wouldn't even be a child, so there was no chance Naruto could be his Papa.

"Daddy?" Sasuke asked quietly, with his hands fisted on Naruto's chest.

"Hm?" the blond murmured, half asleep.

"Are you gonna be happy if… if I get good grades on my report card?"

"Of course I'd be happy" Naruto muttered, with his chin over Sasuke's head. "If you want, we could go celebrate somewhere."

Sasuke's hand grabbed Naruto's shirt and squeezed it.

"Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you got to be my Daddy."

Despite being nearly asleep, Naruto smiled.

"Me too" the blond replied, falling asleep once more.

Warm and more peaceful, Sasuke also fell asleep again. He didn't mind having to learn how to be a shinobi again, he did it once and he could do it again. He felt happy to be a kid now, even if it meant he was still weak.

Suddenly, his former life didn't seem so important anymore. He didn't even want to be an adult or an old man again...

He was happy to be who he was.

* * *

The tall figure, dressed in black, sat on a rock while a small flock of birds landed softly on his shoulders and arms. At that moment, he felt calm and at peace, so he talked to the birds with ease. Unfortunately, none of the animals gave him the information he needed.

When his traveling companion arrived, the birds took flight and Jūgo looked at him. Suigetsu had blood stains on his most recent sword, which meant that he had most likely killed the men who had gone to do some _"small"_ questioning.

"Ah! I feel refreshed" Suigetsu said, sticking the sword in the ground and drinking a sip of water.

"You killed them all, didn't you?" Jūgo said.

Suigetsu shrugged.

"They angered me" he said. "They had it coming."

"You wanted to fight."

"It's true. I miss a good fight. Besides, they didn't tell me anything special. Let's go, Jūgo. "

The orange haired man stood up and followed his teammate.

* * *

**Well, I guess this is a part training, part character development chapter. **

**As I said, Sasuke's dreams are echoes and can be mixed with other dreams, which isn't a reliable source of information about his past.**

**To those who want to know, Iruka's flashback happened on chapter ****538. I saw lot hatred towards this chapter when it came out, because many people considered it a waste of time where nothing important happened. But personally, I believe it was important. Besides it was finally explained that the hand shake Naruto and Sasuke did when they clashed at the Valley of the End was the "reconciliation seal". **

**Please don't forget to review, it warms my heart! **

**See ya later!**


	42. Copy Wheel Eye

**Hi there! I guess it's the first time I update on a character's birthday (July 23****rd**** is Sasuke's birthday). **

**I also found out that Amália Rodrigues, Portugal's most famous Fado singer, was born also on this day. And I only found that out because Google paid her homage on their home page. She would be 91 if she was still alive, so congratulations to her memory that will never fade!**

**Some readers still want me to get Naruto a girlfriend, but I'm sorry. That's not the direction I want this fanfic to go. Even the series itself doesn't focus on romance much and people still love it. I hope you'll keep reading nonetheless.**

**PS: warning for spoilers about _Raven's Fall_ plot! ****Also, keep in mind that Sasuke is just six years old.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Copy Wheel Eye**

写輪眼 _(Sharingan)_

"Ok, Sasuke. Let's see what you've learned so far" Naruto said casually, with a broad smile on his lips.

"Hai!" the raven cried.

After eating a light breakfast, the two had traveled for two hours when they reached a huge meadow. That was when Naruto had put his bag down and said they would train for a little while. Enthusiastic, Sasuke threw his backpack onto the grass and got ready for practice.

"To begin with, can you tell me what chakra is?"

Sasuke nodded, that was easy.

"Chakra is a mixture of physical energy that is within every cell in the body, and spiritual energy that is acquired through exercise and experience" the raven solemnly said.

A sweat drop ran down from Naruto's forehead. Damn, the kid was good. Even now, Naruto wouldn't be able to explain the concept of chakra that well. Perhaps with the help of a drawing or comparing chakra with different flavors of an ice cream... maybe then he could do it.

_"What the hell! __Memorizing stuff has never been my forte. I learn through my body, that needs no explanation. Good thing Sasuke can learn these mindsets on his own. If I tried to explain, it would be a disaster. Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei were the ones who always got that covered."_

"Tou-chan? Did I say it right?" the little boy asked.

"Ah... yes. It was great. I'm glad you studied so hard. You are doing very well," Naruto said, making Sasuke blush with delight. "But you know, all people have chakra, the difference is that a ninja is able to control his or her chakra and use it in jutsus."

"I know" said the raven. "You have to mold and manipulate the chakra in our body."

"Exactly! A Shinobi needs to have a lot of control over their chakra to use Ninjutsu and genjutsu, or the technique won't work as it should or may even fail outright. It wastes time and energy which, during a fight, can be fatal. "

Sasuke nodded and saw that his father had taken a scroll from his bag. When he opened the scroll and touched it, three heavy bags appeared right in front of them.

"What's that?" the raven asked.

"Some things that Iruka-sensei lent me from the Academy" Naruto said, grabbing the bags. "He lent us some kunai and shuriken to practice."

Naruto gave Sasuke one of the kunai that were inside the bag. The raven grabbed the metal weapon with wonder; he had never picked up a real kunai before. It was heavier than the wooden kunai which he used to play with.

"Have you gotten used to its weight?" Naruto asked.

For several minutes, Sasuke handled the kunai with both hands. He tried to hold him through the small ring with his finger and move it around without dropping it to the ground. When he was comfortable with the weight and texture of the black dagger, Naruto gave him another kunai so Sasuke could get used to handle two at the same time. He explained that the knife was mainly used for thrusting and stabbing, but could also cause some damage when thrown. Kunai could also be used to defend against other weapons like a katana and shuriken.

After Sasuke learned the basics of handling kunai, Naruto gave him several shuriken and explained to him how to grasp several at the same time without being cut or let them fall to the ground and throw them.

"Let me try!" Sasuke said. "I can throw some?"

"Hmm... okay" Naruto said.

In the middle of the prairie was a lonely little tree that would make an excellent target.

"Now look at me" Naruto said, preparing to throw the shuriken. "Watch my pose and how I move my arms, okay?"

Sasuke nodded and Naruto threw three shuriken that pierced firmly into the tree trunk.

"That's easy" the raven said. "You just point and throw."

Naruto gave him a sly smile.

"You think? So now you try!"

With a confident smile, Sasuke grabbed three shuriken, placed them in position between his fingers, positioned exactly like Naruto had and threw them against the tree.

Two of the shuriken didn't even fell near the tree and the one that hit the trunk didn't stuck and fell pathetically to the ground, leaving Sasuke perplexed.

"What? But... I did everything right! "Sasuke muttered, stunned and frustrated.

Naruto grinned. Not that he wanted his child to fail, but it was always fun to see that cocky little head deflate.

"It's not as easy as it sounds, is it?" the blond said. "You have to practice a lot just to get them to hit the target, is even more difficult to throw the shuriken and make it pierce the target."

Frowning, Sasuke ran to the tree and took the shuriken.

"Again! I want to try again!" the raven cried.

After seven retries, Sasuke still hadn't improved one bit. The damn shuriken didn't even hit the tree!

"Take it easy" Naruto said, patiently. "If you're nervous, you can't focus and you fail the target. You won't learn everything on the first try... you have to be patient."

"I _**am**_ patient!" Sasuke said, gesturing with his hand. To his horror, the shuriken escaped through his fingers and flew against Naruto.

Before the blond could react, he heard a rasping sound and the shuriken crashed into a wall of sand.

"Oh?" Naruto groaned, blinking before the floating sand.

With his heart still pounding, Sasuke also looked at the sand with a mixture of anxiety and bewilderment.

The sand turned away from Naruto and flew behind them.

"I see you started the training," a calm, deep voice said.

The surprised expression on Naruto's face turned into a smile.

"Gaara" the blond said. "You came."

Sasuke looked back and saw a red haired man, with no eyebrows and dark circles around his eyes watching them with an impassive look.

Naruto's frog had appeared on his desk early in the morning, but Gaara had some paperwork to read and needed to deliver multiple missions before he could take a break. Fortunately, not even Temari or Kankuro suspected that their younger brother was miles away from the village, although they had been asking him where he was when nobody could find, not even in the cactus greenhouse he had built.

"Gaara-san?" Sasuke asked.

"You two should be more careful" Gaara said, approaching them.

"You're right... thanks, Gaara" Naruto said, scratching his neck with an embarrassed look.

Sasuke looked at the flying sand before it went gently into Sabaku no Gaara's gourd. When the raven was little, he believed that this was due to tanuki magic, but now he knew what it was in reality.

"Gaara-san? You're a ninja too?"

"That is correct" Gaara nodded quietly

"How can you control sand like that?" the boy asked.

"My chakra is mixed with the sand, so I can control it."

"You just use sand?" Sasuke asked, surprised.

"Sand is all I need," Gaara said. "As long as I have sand, I can do anything, whether to attack or to defend myself."

"True," Naruto said, approaching the other shinobi. "Gaara is known for his Absolute Defense."

"Absolute Defense?" the raven boy asked.

"It means that the sand that he uses as a defense is so powerful that it is almost impossible to touch him" Naruto said, turning to Gaara.

Sasuke frowned. How could plain sand be an invincible defense? Perhaps stone or metal... but _sand_? That was very hard to believe.

"When we first met, Gaara had never been defeated or wounded in his life. No wonder he is the Kazekage now" Naruto continued.

Sasuke's eyes widened. Gaara-san was the Kazekage? The Land of Wind's Kage?

Just looking at Gaara, the raven felt he was powerful, but he had no idea that he could be such a strong ninja. Besides, if Gaara was the Kazekage that meant he was the leader of Sunagakure, another hidden ninja village, bordering Konoha. How could the Kazekage and his Dad be friends? They weren't even from the same village. It made no sense!

"You're really the Kazekage?" Sasuke asked, still stunned. Gaara just nodded again.

"Cool, huh? He became Kazekage before I became Hokage, but don't you think I'll stay behind!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing a finger at Gaara like a feisty child. "Just you wait and see! I'll have that red hat on my head soon enough!"

Gaara's lips twitched into a little smile.

"Actually, I wouldn't be the Kazekage if it weren't for you" Kage said, calming the blond who immediately blushed.

"Oh... well... You worked really hard for it... the merit is all yours" Naruto stuttered. He would never get used to how nice the former Jinchuriki could be.

Sasuke stared at the two shinobi, ignorant of what they were talking about.

"Why wouldn't Gaara-san be the Kazekage?" the child asked.

"Because your father changed me," Gaara said. "Even though we were enemies, he was the only person who understood me."

"You... _you were enemies?_" Sasuke exclaimed, completely astonished. "No way! You're friends!"

Naruto laughed fondly.

"We're friends _now_, but when we met, I had a dread of death of Gaara. He was ruthless in battle and much stronger than I was. He was also a little creepy... sorry, Gaara. "

Gaara just nodded again.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh... well..." Naruto mumbled. "The thing is…"

"I tried to kill Naruto and his friends" Gaara interrupted.

Sasuke gasped.

"You tried to kill him? Why?"

"Because that's how I was back then" Gaara could give a million explanations but he knew it all boiled down to this. "I killed because that's how I felt alive... I lived only loving myself, killing others to prove my existence."

Sasuke didn't know what to think... He knew Gaara since he was a little boy. The red-haired man always seemed serious and calm, but he never seemed mean. It was as if they were talking about someone else, some bloodthirsty murderer who didn't resemble _this_ Gaara at all.

"So... you couldn't kill Tou-chan? Why? He ran away?"

"No. He beat me up" the Kazekage said, while Naruto mumbled a _"sorry about that."_

"_**Huh?**_ But... I thought my Dad was weaker?"

"And I was," Naruto said. "But my teammates were in danger. If I didn't fight he would kill them. One of them had fought against Gaara and was wounded and the other one was stuck on a tree by Gaara's sand. I couldn't just run away and leave my companions behind, so I fought. "

"And you won?"

"I won, although it was a close call. Gaara wasn't able to move and I had to drag myself to go to him. When yo... my teammate told me that I didn't have to fight anymore because Gaara was out of chakra, I passed out and slept for hours. "

Sasuke turned to Gaara.

"And you don't hate him for defeating you?" the boy asked.

"No. When I lost, I was confused," Gaara said quietly. "I didn't understand how he had become so strong. Naruto told me he was fighting because he wanted to protect the people who were precious to him, and that made him stronger. It was then that I understood that one day, I could have someone precious to protect as well. I didn't have to be alone forever. That's what I learned from your father that day. "

Sasuke remained attentive, though still very confused.

"So... you two became friends because you fought against each other?"

"Yes," replied Naruto. "It was something like that."

"That doesn't make any sense, Tou-chan."

"The truth is that there are people who can only understand each other through their fists" Naruto said, before the child's confused face.

"Through their fists?"

"One day, you'll understand."

After talking some more, Gaara offered to help train Sasuke. Naruto remembered that Gaara had taught some kids in Suna before becoming Kazekage. Surprisingly, the redhead was very good at explaining complicated concepts and very patient, teaching Sasuke not only how to fight with ninja weapons but also how to defend himself from his sand with a very basic Taijutsu.

"Fight me as if you wanted to kill me" the young Kage said, astonishing Sasuke.

"But..."

"It's okay," said Naruto. "Gaara's sand protects him, so you can attack at will."

"Okay..." the raven said, taking a deep breath before trying to attack the Kazekage, only to be pushed to the ground.

"You have to lift your leg higher or that kick will never work" Naruto said while Sasuke rose from the ground. "Use your forearm to defend yourself."

An hour later, Sasuke was so exhausted that he fell back on the grass, panting and covered in dust. He hadn't been able to overcome Gaara's sand, much less touch him (how did his Tou-chan do it? It seemed impossible). However, Naruto had taught him several blows and Sasuke had even defended himself once successfully when the sand tried to throw him on the floor.

All in all, it had been a good workout.

"Are you alright, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, bending before the exhausted boy.

"It's so _*huf*_ hard... I can't even _*huf*_ touch him..." the raven gasped, still lying on the grass with drops of sweat trickling down his forehead.

"I think that's enough for today," the blond said, looking at Gaara. "Thanks for your help, and sorry for dragging you out here. You should be busy, huh?"

Gaara shook his head.

"That's not a problem. In fact, I needed to get away from all that bureaucracy. It was good to train someone again and I was longing for a little action."

Naruto took a cloth and a bottle of water from his bag and approached his son. Sasuke sat on the grass, still panting, and accepted the canteen with delight. After quenching his thirst, Naruto took the canteen from his little hands, wet the cloth with water and cleaned the child's dirty face.

"Tou-chan!" Sasuke embarrassedly yelled. "I can clean myself."

"I know you can" Naruto said with an amused smile. "I'm just helping. Father's privileges. "

Sasuke pouted, but didn't stop Naruto as the latter cleaned his dirty face, arms and hands.

"You'll have to change clothes," the blond said, pointing to Sasuke's gray sweater and white shorts, filled with green and brown stains.

Sasuke blushed and looked nervously towards Gaara.

"I won't take my clothes off in front of you two!" the boy cried, mortified.

Naruto smirked.

"Ah? C'mon. Don't be ashamed. You have nothing that we haven't seen already. "

"Tou-chan!" Sasuke shouted redder and redder.

Naruto laughed and even Gaara chuckled.

"Just kidding, Sasuke" the blond said. "You'll change your clothes when we get to the next village. Also, we have a ship to catch. "

Gaara blinked when he heard movement behind the small trees and shrubs. Glancing at Naruto, Kazekage realized that his friend had also noticed that they were being watched.

"Tou-chan, that wasn't funny! You..." Sasuke stopped talking when he saw the serious expression on his father's face. "What's wrong?"

A group of poorly dressed men came out of their hiding places and surrounded the trio, carrying various weapons from rusty swords to bows. There should be more than fifteen men, all with a menacing smile on their ugly faces.

"If you value to your life, give up everything you have," one of the men said, tall and broad as a tree trunk, probably the leader of the gang of thieves. "If you try to resist, we'll cut you to tiny pieces. So no fucking stupid ideas!"

Sasuke stood up and looked at the bad guys with some consternation. They were too many and they all had weapons.

However, Naruto snorted as if he was annoyed by the situation.

"For God's sake! Haven't you got anything better to do?" Naruto asked.

"Don't be stupid, Blondie" said the big man. "Give us your things nicely and maybe no one gets hurt."

Sasuke looked at Naruto in anticipation, while Gaara crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes.

"First you say you won't hurt us unless we resist. Now, you say that _may_ _not_ hurt us" Naruto continued. "You want to rob us and then kill us, it's pointless to lie."

"Fucking dumb kid" one of the thieves growled. "Boss! Let's kill them and end this bullshit talk."

"You are really getting on my nerves" Naruto said, frowning. "I don't want to hear that kind of language in front of my son."

"Enough!" the leader cried. "Get them!"

The men threw themselves against them with their weapons ready to kill them all. One of them shot an arrow in Sasuke's direction. The raven gasped when the tip of the arrow stopped inches from his face by Naruto's hand.

"Now I'm angry," the blond said, dangerously. "Sasuke, stay behind me."

The boy stood up and hid behind Naruto obediently. When Sasuke looked at his father, he saw that he had the same determination in his eyes like when he had fought against Akane.

"Tou-chan?"

Naruto laid a hand on the boy's head.

"Look, Sasuke," Naruto said. "_This_ is how a ninja battles."

Naruto made the hand seal.

"Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

More than twenty blond clones appeared in clouds of smoke, throwing themselves against the off guard thieves. The original Naruto stood in front of Sasuke, while his clones gave a beating to the stunned men.

"Ninjas" one of them murmured with fear and panic. "They're ninjas!"

Sasuke watched carefully as the clones disarmed the bandits and easily defeat them with two or three attacks of efficient Taijutsu. His onyx eyes tried to capture all the moves, learn them... but it was all happening too fast.

_"I want to see!" _the raven thought, feeling a strange reaction in his eyes. _"I need to see!"_

The feeling became stronger and Sasuke blinked. When he opened his eyes, the raven realized he could see the clones' chakra and all the movements of those who fought. Regardless of the speed or thoroughness of the movements made by combatants or their weapons, Sasuke could follow them all with his eyes, attentive to every detail.

Gaara uncrossed his arms and walked toward the battle.

"Let me finish this, Naruto" the Kazekage said.

Naruto nodded and his clones disappeared in a cloud of white smoke. The thieves were wounded and were glared at them with a death stare.

"Motherfuckers! Kill them! What are you waiting for? Kill them! "

Gaara clapped his palms and quickly made several hand seals. With an earthquake, a tidal wave of sand came from the ground, towering over the bewildered thieves' heads. Sasuke could see the chakra controlling the sand, moving it in the direction that the Kazekage wanted.

"Awesome" the boy stammered.

The sand fell upon the thieves with a bang and suddenly turned the meadow into a desert. Sasuke thought it was all over, but Gaara had other ideas.

"Sabaku Taisō" the Kage said, putting his hands on the sand. With a new bang, the sand was compressed against the ground and the earth shook, forcing Sasuke to grab on to Naruto so he wouldn't fall.

"Show-off" Naruto said with an amused smile.

When the earth stopped shaking, Gaara stood up and stared at the sand.

"It's over" the Kazekage said.

Still holding to his father's shirt, Sasuke looked as the Kazekage turn his back to the wasteland he had created and walked towards them completely unruffled.

"He's so strong" the raven said.

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah! After all, he is the Kazekage. Did you..." Naruto turned to Sasuke and his blue eyes widened.

Sasuke had his Sharingan active, still fixed on the battlefield.

When Gaara approached them, his pale eyes also widened in surprise. Sasuke didn't take long to notice the astonished gaze of the two adults and stared at them with his confused red eyes.

"What?" he asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Gaara looked at Naruto. The Kazekage could see his friend's inner conflict. Naruto's eyes were restless and his mouth open, as if unsure how to react. However, Sasuke continued to stare at them with his immature Sharingan, without any idea of what was going on.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, finally. "Don't you feel... different?"

Sasuke looked at his father, starting to feel scared. What had happened? Why were they looking at him? Did he do something wrong?

"I... I don't feel different," Sasuke remembered the strange sensation in his eyes. It wasn't unpleasant, so it didn't bother him, but he didn't want to feel it forever. It was as if he couldn't relax, seeing everything with too much detail. It was exhausting. "My eyes... my eyes feel a little weird, but... they don't hurt."

Naruto exchanged a look with Gaara. The latter nodded and Naruto laid his two hands on Sasuke's face, his thumbs gently massaging the temples of the worried boy.

"Can you relax, son?" Naruto said with a reassuring smile. "Can you relax your eyes?"

With his father's smile and gentle voice, Sasuke calmed down as if by magic. Little by little, the raven felt his eyes relaxing and, as if someone had pushed a switch, his detailed vision disappeared. Sasuke was seeing normally again.

Naruto took his hands off the raven's face.

"Tou-chan? What is it?" the boy asked.

Naruto remained kneeling on the floor, looking at his son in the eye.

_"What am I supposed to say?"_ the blond thought. _"What should I do? I have no idea what I'm doing."_

"Daddy? Is something wrong with my eyes?" Sasuke asked.

These words immediately turned up Naruto.

"No. There's nothing wrong with your eyes" the blond assured him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Your eyes are fine. Actually... I think we need to have a little talk, Sasuke. There is something you need to know now that you're gonna be a ninja. "

Sasuke continued to stare at his father, not knowing what was happening.

"What?"

"Ah..." Naruto remembered the map that he studied the night before. There was a small restaurant a few miles away, it wouldn't take long to get there. And Naruto needed a mirror. "I'll tell you when we get to the next restaurant, okay?"

The blond turned to his friend.

"Gaara... if you have to go, is ok" Naruto said. "They should be looking for you by now."

Gaara shook his head.

"It's still early. Don't worry, Naruto. I'll go with you. "

A bit relieved, the blond nodded with a smile. It would be nice to have Gaara around in case he lacked the words.

"Thanks" said Naruto. "Come here, Sasuke. We'll get there faster if you're piggybacking. "

Still a little apprehensive, the boy nodded and climbed to his father's back, encircling his neck with his arms. Naruto and Gaara didn't take long to reach the forest and jumped from branch to branch with the agility, dexterity and ease of someone who had done it thousands of times before.

Sasuke merely clung to Naruto's neck, watching the tree branches and the green leaves around him, with his black hair flying around while they jumped. The boy wasn't afraid of falling, he knew that Naruto would never let that happen, but even so, he buried his face in his father's neck.

When they reached the small restaurant, Naruto asked the maid if they could use the bathroom. The woman said yes and the three boys went to the men's bathroom, where Naruto sat Sasuke in the sink.

"Sasuke... now I'm gonna ask you to do something, okay?" the blond asked. Sasuke just nodded. "You remember what you were doing and thinking when Gaara and I were fighting against those thieves? When did you feel that your eyes were... ah... different?"

"I was thinking about what you told me" the raven haired boy replied. "You said to "_look_" and I wanted to see. I wanted to see everything you were doing with your clones, but they were very fast. I couldn't see anything... then I could see _everything_. "

Naruto nodded slowly. He had no idea how to ask Sasuke to activate his Sharingan. How did he ask such a thing? How an Uchiha did activate the Sharingan? Forcing their eyes? Summoning chakra? Or did they use their mind as a switch?

"Remember what you felt when you started to _see everything_?" Gaara asked, realizing that Naruto didn't know how to do it.

"I... I felt a pressure in my eyes" Sasuke said, looking at Gaara and his father. "I don't know why. I just wanted to see and then I could. That's it. "

"Okay," Naruto said. Could it be that simple? The simple desire to see? "Try to _see_ it again. Can you do that, Sasuke? "

The boy stared at him, confused and apprehensive about the request.

"I don't know... I don't know if I can, Tou-chan."

"If you can't, it's okay" Naruto said quietly. "Just try."

Sasuke tried to concentrate on the feeling and the desire to see. However, nothing happened. The raven was about to say that it was of no use when Gaara removed some sand out of his gourd. Sasuke stared at the sand carefully; he knew it was the Kazekage's chakra that was making it move, because he had seen it before.

The feeling in his eyes came more easily than Sasuke expected. Suddenly, he could see the chakra embedded in the sand, and saw Gaara blink, almost imperceptibly.

"You did it" Naruto said.

Sasuke looked at his father's face.

"How do you know?" the boy asked.

"Look at the mirror" Naruto said.

Sasuke turned to the bathroom mirror. At first, he didn't notice anything different; his hair was the same, like his mouth, his face, his eyes...

"My eyes!" Sasuke shouted, blinking several times and touching the mirror's surface. His eyes had changed color! Instead of the usual black, his irises were deep red and had a strange black dot around the pupil. "What's wrong with my eyes? Why are my eyes red?"

"Calm down, Sasuke," Naruto said, approaching the disturbed child. "It's okay."

"But my eyes are all red and weird!" Sasuke said, more and more restless. "What is wrong with me? I'm sick? Am I going blind? "

"No! Heck no" Naruto reassured.

"So what is this, Tou-chan?" Sasuke asked, turning to Naruto and grabbing his arms for safety.

"It's a kekkei genkai" Naruto plainly said.

"Kekkei... Genkai..." Sasuke repeated slowly, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. "What's that?"

"It's a bloodline limit" Gaara said quietly. The best would be for the young Kage to rationally explain what was happening, while Sasuke looked for comfort and protection in Naruto. "In other words, it's a technique limited to inheritance by blood. In your case, you have a dōjutsu, an eye technique, that's why your eyes changed their appearance. "

Still holding his father's arm, Sasuke looked at the mirror again and examined his strange red eyes.

"What does that mean?" the raven asked, more curious than nervous now.

"It means that your eyes can grant you special abilities," the Kazekage continued. "Dōjutsu don't require hand seals and facilitate the use or defense against Taijutsu, Genjutsu and Ninjutsu. As you already noticed, when your eyes changed you can see better, right? You can see our chakra and pay attention to all movements, even the smaller ones. "

Sasuke nodded. Now everything made sense. He finally understood how his vision had suddenly become so good... it was like he could see everything that was going on.

"So... that's good, right? You mean I'll get even stronger, right? I'll..."

When he felt the dizziness, Sasuke stopped talking. If he weren't clinging to Naruto, the boy would have fallen down the sink. When his mind was clearer, Sasuke noticed that his face was leaning on his father's chest.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked, trying not to look worried and frighten the child.

"I got dizzy..." Sasuke muttered.

"Relax your eyes again," the blond said.

To the raven's surprise, it wasn't difficult. Quite simply, he just felt the pressure in his eye disappearing.

"Your dōjutsu is called Sharingan. It evolves the more you use it, gaining new skills," Naruto said this time. "However, there are risks. The Sharingan spends chakra. Since you just began your ninja training, you don't have enough chakra to keep it active for a long time. "

Feeling better, Sasuke pulled his face away from Naruto's chest and rubbed his eyes.

"That's why I got dizzy?"

Naruto nodded, his face uncharacteristically serious.

"It's dangerous to exhaust your chakra reserves. You can even die," the blond said seriously. "You activated the Sharingan for the first time during Akane's fight and you stayed with it active until you fainted."

Sasuke's dark eyes widened. He remembered how he had managed to see a line of light from Akane's kunai. He remembered seeing every detail, just like now. Was that why he had fainted? Because he had kept his... Sharingan thingy on for too long?

"Was it because of this that I got sick?" the boy asked, remembering how his body had ached all over, his fever and fatigue had felt horrible not so long ago.

"Chakra exhaustion" said Naruto. "It's very dangerous and you scared the hell out of me. The Sharingan is a powerful tool and can really help you as a shinobi, but it also has its risks. You're still very young and your chakra reserves are low. Also... it can be stolen. "

"Stolen?" Sasuke asked astonished. "How can it be stolen? It's inside my eyes and..." as he understood what his father was saying, Sasuke turned pale with horror. "They can steal my eyes?"

Naruto nodded solemnly.

"No way!" the raven replied, not wanting to believe in something that nasty. "That's disgusting! People don't go around ripping eyes out!"

"Unfortunately, they do," Naruto continued, there was no way to tone down that information. "The Sharingan is very rare and is very powerful as a weapon. Some ninja wouldn't hesitate one second to take off your eyes, to have it. Through a surgical operation, a person can transplant a dōjutsu to their eyes and get their powers."

Sasuke gulped.

"So what do I do? You don't want me to use the Sharingan? "

"It's not that. You can use it, I just want you to promise me you'll be careful," the blond said, staring at Sasuke with a stern look as the raven realized that his father couldn't be talking more seriously. "It's dangerous to let people know you have a Sharingan, so I want you to promise me you won't use it for nothing or brag about it."

"I won't brag" the child replied. "And I'm not stupid."

"I never thought you were" Naruto replied smoothly. "The Sharingan is powerful, so I want you to use it with caution. You can make yourself very strong with those eyes, but you don't need to rely on them to be a good shinobi. Never forget that. "

"And… what about you?"

Naruto blinked in confusion.

"What about me?"

"Don't you have a Sharingan too?"

Naruto tried not to gulp as he shook his head, shocking the child.

"Huh? Why?" Sasuke asked.

"I wasn't born with one" Naruto said.

Sasuke lowered his eyes. Just another thing that made him different from his father…

"The Sharingan is part of your strength" Naruto continued, lifting Sasuke's chin with his thumb. "I have my powers and you have yours. I want you to follow your own path, with your own strength. So one day, you'll be able to surpass me."

Sasuke was taken aback by that statement "You want me to be more powerful than you?"

"Sure I do!" Naruto answered with his famous grin. "You're my heir. I want you be more powerful than I ever was."

"_Heir? I'm his… heir?" _the little raven thought.

As he calmed down, Sasuke thought about everything that they had told him about his special eyes. He realized now that if he hadn't used them when Akane tried to stab him, he would have been killed because he couldn't see her attacks. But he had become so weak later... If he fainted during a battle, another ninja could kill him, or pull his eyes out.

Daddy said that a powerful ninja can be defeated by a weaker one if he was careless. Sasuke wasn't planning on being one. The Sharingan was like the shuriken, if he used them incorrectly he could cut his own fingers.

When Sasuke looked at his father again, his eyes were filled with determination. He wasn't going to be sloppy get himself killed. He was going to be a great shinobi, like his Tou-chan. He wouldn't let him down. He was his heir.

"I'll be careful with my eyes" the raven said. "I promise."

Naruto smiled and stroked his hair.

"I know" the blond said. "I trust you."

Sasuke felt his lips curving into a happy smile.

When the three ninja left the bathroom, all employees of the restaurant looked on with curiosity and apprehension. What the hell had they been doing in there for half an hour? One of the maids had even asked the cook if she need to get the disinfectant. They couldn't imagine the state of the toilets.

Abstracted from the thoughts and comments of the waiters and cooks, Naruto asked for a huge meal to celebrate Sasuke's _special eyes_.

Gaara couldn't stay any longer or his people in Sunagakure would get worried and think that he had been kidnapped again. So Naruto summoned a frog once more and the Kazekage bade them farewell.

* * *

Hours later, Naruto and Sasuke had finally reached the harbor and bought tickets to travel to the Unmei islands.

Tsunade had told Naruto they were going to stay with a very ancient Samurai Clan, which had been Konoha's ally for decades. Their samurais wanted to combine their Bushidō with Ninjutsu so they could survive in a world ruled by ninjas without having to give up their own traditions. Evolve rather than disappear.

The weather was hot, but the sea breeze was nice and refreshing. The ship to the islands was small and only had a handful of passengers. After going on board, Naruto took his son to their cabin and Sasuke immediately took of his dirty clothes and went to their private bathroom.

Naruto put the two bags in a small closet and grabbed a towel. When he reached the bathroom, Sasuke was already inside the big tub, his hair black full of foam.

The boy smiled at his father as the latter also went inside the big square tub. Naruto felt his sore muscles relax with the warm water and sighed with joy. After a long journey, there was nothing better than taking a bath.

Sasuke picked up a wooden bowl, filled it with water and poured it over his head, wiping the foam of the shampoo.

"Have you washed yourself with soap?" Naruto asked.

"Yes."

"Did you wash your whole body? Even behind the ears? You always forget washing there. "

"Tou-chan! I'm not a baby!" Sasuke replied, though he really had forgotten.

"Okay, okay," Naruto laughed. "Did you wash your tushie?"

"Tou-chan!" Sasuke shouted, with his cheeks as red as one of the tomatoes that he loved to eat so much.

Naruto burst out laughing. It was always fun messing with Sasuke, no matter how old was.

"Just kidding" said the blond, still laughing. "Sorry, Sasuke."

The raven frowned, stuck his tongue out and pouted.

"Come on! Don't be like that" Naruto said. "I had to wash your butt all the time when you were a baby. And I changed your dirty diapers, don't be mad at me."

"Dad! Don't use the diapers excuse... and why are you laughing?" Sasuke asked, feeling increasingly embarrassed. Sometimes Sasuke doubted that Naruto really was an adult. The blond teased him as if they were classmates.

"I was thinking how you've grown so much," Naruto said with a warm smile on his face. "It seems that five minutes ago I still had to give you a bath in the sink because you were so tiny. And look at you now? You're turning into a man. You already started your ninja training and already activated the Sharingan. If I'm not careful, I'll blink and you'll be an adult shinobi. It makes me feel happy and sad at the same time..."

Sasuke pout was gone and the raven swam to with his father's side.

"Tou-chan... even if I'm an adult, I'll still be your son, right?" the raven asked, deliberately letting Naruto wash his back with a soapy sponge.

"Of course. No matter how old you are, I'll always be your silly Tou-chan. _But not wimpy_."

Sasuke had to laugh at that, until he remembered what had happened in the Land of Foam, when he was turned into a young man because he had listened to a scary stranger. It had been awesome and fun at first: being able to go where he wanted, do what he wanted. But Sasuke soon realized that being a grownup on the outside didn't turn him into a grownup on the inside, and excitement became distress. He had been trapped in a body that felt weird. He had felt too tall, too big and had too much body hair. **(1)**

"Tou-chan?"

"Hmm?" Naruto replied, cleaning the child's soapy back with water.

"When I turned into a big boy and didn't remember you... were you still my Daddy?"

Naruto blinked; surprised that Sasuke was talking about that incident so suddenly. However, the blond nodded with a genuine smile.

"Yes. I still was."

"Did I make you sad because I didn't remember?" the raven asked, feeling his heart a little heavier.

"Yes..." Naruto replied, washing his blond hair with a little shampoo. "But you know what? I think deep down, you knew who I was. "

Sasuke stared at his father in surprise.

"Really? Why do you say that? How did you know?"

"I don't know... just a feeling I had," Naruto said. "You and I have a very strong bond. At least that's what I feel. When we have a bond with someone, that person is precious. It is through these bonds that we get stronger. "

Sasuke remembered what Gaara had said in the meadow about his fight against Naruto. The Kazekage's sand was so strong and it was almost impossible to defeat, but his father had been able to do so. He had done it to save his teammates. Gaara was strong, scary and wanted to kill him, but Naruto didn't run away or abandoned his friends. He stayed and fought for them.

"Tou-chan?" the raven asked. "Was it because of those bonds that you weren't afraid to fight against Gaara- san?"

"Huh?"

"You said Gaara-san was stronger than you, but you fought against him to protect your teammates. Was it because of your bonds with them were very strong? They're precious to you?"

For a few seconds, Naruto didn't answer. When he did, his eyes were shinning.

"Yes. It was because of the bond that united us that I found the strength and courage to fight" Naruto replied with a soft gaze. "Team 7... the best team ever!"

Sasuke realized that his father was thinking of them: his precious teammates. Even a little kid like Sasuke was able to tell that Naruto still loved them very much. They should also love him too... the friend who was willing to sacrifice his life to protect them and would do anything for them.

"You really like them, huh?" Sasuke meekly asked.

Naruto's smile got even bigger and warmer.

"Yeah!"

For the first time in his life, Sasuke felt jealous. His father had never spoken about anyone else with such love before. The bond that united them had to be very strong, stronger than the one that existed between him and Naruto… And that hurt.

Sasuke felt shadowed by those two faceless people who his Daddy still cared about so much.

_"He loves them more than he loves me__"_ the boy thought, with his black hair covering his eyes.

* * *

**(1) If you're interested, please check Raven's Fall. I said I would make it canon.**

**Sasuke ****is smart, but he's still a little kid. I think he would be sad and jealous if he believed that his Dad loved someone more than him. Even in his first life, Sasuke was prone to jealousy: he was jealous of Itachi and was jealous of Naruto when he started to get stronger.**

**Also, I must be completely nuts, but I've decided to do sort of a crossover. Which means, I'll take a character from another franchise (which I love ****and I don't own!) and create a new life for him in the Naruto universe. Yeah… It's gonna be a boy. He's very popular on fanfiction, doujinshi and amv but I don't know if those who watch Naruto know about him.**

**I hope it'll come out ok… *crosses fingers***

**Wish me luck and see you later.**


	43. Leader

**Hi**** there! I would've updated sooner, but they cut the electrical power because of the fires all around. Our forests are burning T_T **

**First of all, I would like to say this fiction isn't going to become a crossover. Since I'm just taking a character from another series and I'm not using anything from his universe, I believe what I am doing his more of an homage. Let's see if I can pull it through…**

**I'm gonna have a small contest (^_^), which one of you can tell me where the character is from? Cookies for those who get it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Riku (just his background. His looks and personality aren't mine, unfortunately…)**

**Hint: Just google his first name, he will immediately appear.**

* * *

**Leader**

指導者 _(Shidō-sha)_

The Fifth Hokage's letter from Konohagakure arrived at exactly ten o'clock in the morning, carefully protected by a seal that would only open when the leader of the Sanada clan decided to.

As soon as the letter arrived through the messenger bird, one of the men responsible for the communications' tower took the message to the main house of the Sanada clan.

Sanada Shigeru was sitting on a comfortable cushion in his private office, reading a report on recent attacks on the islands' boats by pirates. His greenish brown eyes darkened as he read about the deaths of the poor seamen and felt the familiar weight of guilt and responsibility in his chest. He would have to find an effective strategy to address the problem quickly.

"Shigeru-sama," a voice called behind the sliding door. "May I come in?"

As leader of the Sanada clan for nearly twenty years, Shigeru had made a point of knowing all of his subordinates by name.

"Come in, Mitsunari" Shigeru said, his voice quiet but firm.

Mitsunari entered the office and bowed before handing the letter to his leader.

Seeing the Konoha symbol in the seal around the letter, Shigeru landed the report he was reading and told Mitsunari to return to his duties. When he was alone again, Shigeru landed the letter on the old desk that belonged to his family for nearly one hundred years and joined his hands to make the appropriate hand seal.

"Kai!"

The letter's protective seal disappeared and the Sanada leader read the message that Tsunade had sent him.

Shigeru had exchanged letters with the Hokage before and immediately started preparations to house Uzumaki Naruto and his son. Tsunade's request to let the young war hero stay in the archipelago to train had been cordially accepted. After all, Konoha was a powerful and respected ally. If the Konoha ninja hadn't intervened when Unmei was threatened all those years ago, both Shigeru's father and grandfather would have died. Therefore, the samurai leader would be eternally grateful and would gladly accept any favor asked by the prestigious ninja village.

Even the request to maintain absolute secrecy that Naruto's son was an Uchiha child.

By his honor as a samurai and the bonds of friendship between Unmei and Konoha, the Sanada leader vowed that the child's heritage of wouldn't be disclosed to anyone, and Shigeru, as a man of integrity and respectful warrior, wouldn't question about it.

Tsunade said that Naruto's wish was to become the next Hokage, like his father before him. The Sannin had written that it was thanks to Naruto's courage and determination that she had decided to accept the position, inspired by his desire to fulfill his dream and protect the village he loved. For this reason, Tsunade had decided years ago that Naruto would succeed her.

However, Naruto still needed to mature a lot as a man before taking up the mantle of a Kage. The young man was still very immature and thought too much with his heart. The Godaime's objective was, not to only train Naruto's son, but also teach the blond shinobi how to use his head and learn how to be a real leader and rule the village with wisdom.

Naruto had the passion, love and enthusiasm necessary to be an excellent Hokage, all he needed was to learn how to govern.

Personally, Shigeru was also very curious about the famous Naruto. The samurai wasn't impressed easily, but the deeds of the Kyuubi Jinchuriki were worthy of a legend. The boy, he was barely 23 years old, had not only been able to control a monster of evil chakra that had been placed in his body at birth, but was also responsible for the Shinobi Alliance victory during the war, saving the world and uniting whole nations under a single goal: peace.

Shigeru was willing to help the young hero. After all, he had become the clan's leader at the tender age of fourteen. He was forced to grow up and honor the responsibilities that his ancestors had left him. Unlike what happened in Konoha, the Sanada clan had always been the ruling clan of the Unmei Islands. Just like in the succession of the feudal lords, the eldest son of the current samurai leader would be his successor.

As always when he thought about it, Shigeru felt a shooting pain in his chest and the beginning of what he already suspected to be a strong headache. Taking a deep breath, the samurai burned the Hokage's letter and wrote her a letter in response. After sealing the letter and asked one of his men to take it to the communications tower, Shigeru decided to retire to his room and rest. As the day was sunny and breezy, he opened the window and a gentle wind infused with the scent of the cherry trees in the garden came to his nostrils.

When spring arrived the garden was beautiful, filled with flowers and petals. Miya was the one who had planted the cherry trees and structured the garden after they were married. She used to say that it was important to wake up and look at something beautiful to start to the day.

"I want you to wake up with a smile, Shigeru" she said, still dirty with mud after she planted all the plants.

To Shigeru it was enough to look at her to feel like the happiest man in the world. He never loved anyone with such passion and intensity as Miya. From the first moment they laid eyes at each other, Shigeru knew he had found the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

When Miya became pregnant, Shigeru was awed. The couple used to walk along the beach, just the two of them, holding hands, imagining how their child would look like and deciding what to name the baby. During these trips, Shigeru's love for wife and the child they had conceived together only increased. At night, the Sanada leader would take off his mask as the clan's chief and ruler and fell asleep smiling with his hand over his wife's belly, feeling their precious child grow and move.

Miya gave birth to a healthy boy who they decided to call Hatori. The baby looked so beautiful, strong and perfect. Hatori had inherited his father's dark brown hair and his mother's gentle hazel eyes.

Growing up, Hatori had shown to have inherited the best of both parents. Although he was still a small child, the boy was loyal and honest like his father, but kind and joyful as his mother.

Shigeru could not be prouder of his son and was sure he would be an excellent leader when he succeeded him.

That would never happen.

Lying on the bed he had shared with his wife, Shigeru covered his eyes with the back of his hand. When his breathing became regular, the samurai looked at the pictures on his dresser and nightstand: his wedding photo with Miya; Miya seven months pregnant, sitting under the cherry blossom trees; newborn Hatori in the arms of his mother; several photos of Hatori throughout his childhood with and without his parents. The last photo was taken in front of the Mansion: Shigeru, Miya and Hatori, who was about five years old, playing in the white snow.

Miya and Hatori wouldn't be alive when the snow thawed.

Trying to repress the painful memories, Shigeru tried not to think about anything, focusing on the sound of the trees in the garden, the wind and the occasional chirp of a bird. In the distance, he could hear the shouts of the children who were returning home from school.

Shigeru heard the sound of voices on the other side of the wall and looked out the window at the same time as a silver-haired boy entered the mansion. A few minutes later, he heard someone knocking at his door, entering without waiting for a reply.

Taking a deep breath, Shigeru looked at Kiyomi, his mother, the only person in the whole clan whose behavior hadn't changed when he succeeded his father as the clan's leader. And also one of the people who troubled him the most and made him feel uneasy.

"Do you wish to speak with me, Hahaue?" the samurai said, ready to return to work.

The old lady looked at her oldest son before answering.

"Riku came home" she said.

"I know. I saw him come in" Shigeru said. "If you don't mind, I have to go back to work."

However, his mother didn't move, continuing to stare at him with a disappointed and angry gaze.

"His kenjutsu exam was today" she continued. "Riku was the best in his class. He defeated all the other students. His teacher said he had never seen a child with so much talent with the sword. "

"I'm happy for him," Shigeru said fully aware of his cold and monotonic voice. "He has access to the best education possible."

Kiyomi frowned, increasingly disappointed with her son's attitude of.

"The children's parents were supposed to come" the old lady said, noting that Shigeru's eyes widened almost imperceptibly.

"I was not informed."

"Riku left the note on top of your desk last week."

Shigeru scratched his nose. He hadn't seen the note... or perhaps he had seen it, but didn't paid it too much attention. The week before, he had problems with a quarrel between two samurai clans because of a nasty divorce. How could he think of attending kenjutsu classes when there was so much to worry about? The clan needed him.

"I must not have seen the note. I had many other papers on my desk, Riku should have warned me personally" Shigeru said.

"When?" Kiyomi said, increasingly exasperated. "If you're not working in the office, you're not at home. You never eat with us. When do you want to talk with Riku? Did you forget that he is your son? Does he need to schedule a meeting so you can give him a few minutes of your precious time?"

Shigeru snorted angrily "Don't be ridiculous, Hahaue. There's no need to turn this into a drama. I have obligations to the clan. If Riku will be the future leader, he has to understand that sooner or later."

Kiyomi closed her eyes and shook her head. It was useless to continue that conversation.

"Oh! He understands," she said, ready to leave. "He said he knew you weren't going to show up."

Shigeru felt his throat tight, but his face remained undisturbed before the accusing and disappointed eyes of his mother.

"If it had been Hatori, you'd been there in the front row" she said with ice on her voice, as Shigeru remained silent. They both knew it to be true.

Kiyomi left his room and went to her grandson's, which was at the other end of the Mansion, near her bedroom. As she had done with her son, she knocked on the door and entered before hearing a response.

Riku was sitting at his desk, doing his homework. When he saw his grandmother coming in, he smiled at her.

"Hi, Obaa-san" the boy greeted, staring at her with his light blue eyes.

"Hi, Riku-chan. You're doing your homework already? You just got home."

Riku nodded, pointing to the notebook where he was writing.

"I'm almost done," the boy said with a confident and cocky smirk. "They're very easy."

"Even so you should get some rest after the exam."

"I'm not tired."

Kiyomi sat in the little boy's bed and picked up the trophy he brought home from school "We have to find a special place for this trophy."

Riku shrugged. He had won other awards before, and kenjutsu was very easy. Most of his classmates didn't even know how to hold the wooden katana right, while Riku had practiced several hours after school. No one was a challenge, so the trophy didn't seem to be very important.

Obviously, for his father it wasn't.

Riku didn't expect his old man to show up and felt stupid for constantly looking at the front door of the dojo. Although his heart ached, he smiled with pride when the sensei handed him the trophy and everyone applauded. He didn't need Shigeru's applause. Riku had given up hope that he loved him long ago.

The only son Shigeru loved was Hatori; there was no room in his heart for Riku. There never was.

"Obaa-san?"

"Yes?"

"You think Kaa-san would have been happy for me?" Riku asked looking at the only photograph he had taken with his mother, just moments after he was born.

"She would have been very proud," Kiyomi said, also looking at Rei's picture. "I'm sure she is very happy. She was there with you today, cheering you on. I'm sure."

Riku smiled and took the photo. His mother was sitting in a hospital bed, holding him against her chest with a radiant smile despite being very sick. His grandmother told him that her spirit would never leave him even if she had died. That thought always made him feel better.

Riku was the spitting image of his mother. They both had silver hair, fair skin and light blue eyes. Riku had also inherited his mother's talent, who had been one of the strongest warriors of the islands. Even Shigeru had lost several spars against her.

"Kaa-san also won a lot of trophies, right?" Riku asked.

"Yes, Rei was truly an amazing warrior" Kiyomi said with a friendly smile. "They called her the _Ice Queen_ because of her hair and because she was never afraid of anything or anyone. Your father often came home frustrated for losing against her. "

"They were rivals, right?" the boy asked.

"Yes... They were eternal rivals, always trying to outdo the other."

Riku looked at his homework and closed the notebook. He could finish it later.

"Today one of the sensei said that we're gonna get a new student" the silver-haired boy said. "Is it true, Obaa-san?"

"Yes. Have you heard of Konohagakure?" the old lady Asked.

"Yeah. It's a ninja village... They're our allies. Why? Is this kid from there?"

"It seems so. He's coming with his father."

"But they're ninjas!" Riku exclaimed, genuinely surprised. "Why would ninjas come to Unmei and train with samurais?"

"Ninjas and samurai can learn a lot from each other," Kiyomi said. "Besides, we should feel honored. This boy's father is Uzumaki Naruto. "

Riku widened his blue eyes. Everyone had heard of the famous Naruto. People said he was one of the most powerful ninja in the world.

Born in a samurai community, Riku didn't trust shinobi as a matter of principle. If it weren't for the ninjas, the samurais wouldn't have lost their glory. However, Riku was interested in meeting the legendary Naruto and see if he was as strong as in the stories people told.

So his son was gonna be his classmate? Would he be as powerful as his father?

After his grandmother left the room, Riku finished his homework and went to train in his family's private dojo. He had to admit he was curious about the kid, but he didn't expect much.

_"Still__... it'll be fun beating a ninja"_ the boy thought with a cocky smile.

* * *

"Ah? What do you mean by _training my brain_, Baa-chan?" Naruto asked, staring at the Hokage sitting in front of him.

"Exactly what I said. I asked the leader of the Sanada clan to teach you how to make diplomatic decisions, to choose teams for missions, plan effective strategies... In other words, I want you train that thick head of yours."

Naruto couldn't help it and pouted.

"But that is so boring, Baa-chan!"

Tsunade slammed her fist on the wooden table, which cracked ominously.

"Idiot! A good shinobi doesn't train only his body," the Hokage muttered. "You have to train your mind to use the power you possess. How do you expect to be a good Hokage if you're not able to make the best decisions or plan? You'd ruin Konoha in a week!"

Naruto blinked slowly, unsure he had heard her right.

"Tsunade Baa-chan... you want me to be the next Hokage?"

"Hmph ... You've been nagging everybody with that dream of yours for over ten years. Do you really think we weren't taking you seriously? If you're going to take my place, I have to make sure that Konoha is in good hands. That is my responsibility in choosing a successor."

Naruto could not believe his ears. Tsunade was really thinking about naming him her successor! He couldn't believe it!

"You won't regret it, Baa-chan!" the blond ninja said, with a huge grin. "I will surpass all Hokage who came before me! You'll see!"

Tsunade smiled briefly before coughing and forcing herself to make a serious face.

"Your duty is to protect and honor the legacy of the other Hokage" she said firmly. "As my successor, I expect you to be as wise and responsible as I am."

"I won't let you down, Baa-chan" Naruto said excitedly like a child. "I'll learn to be a good leader. I'll learn what it takes to be a great Hokage!"

"I hope so, Naruto. If you humiliate me, I'll never forgive you" Tsunade said with such a dangerous glare that Naruto took it seriously. "By the way, where is Sasuke?"

"He's studying in our cabin," Naruto said, looking at the endless blue ocean around them. "He's been studying really hard lately."

Tsunade nodded.

"It's good to know that he is taking his studies seriously."

"Yeah, I think so..." Naruto said, rising from his chair and leaning over the railing of the ship.

Since few days ago, Naruto thought something was wrong with his son. At first glance, there was nothing different: Sasuke studied his scrolls, trained the hand seals and Taijutsu. It wasn't safe to train kunai or shuriken throwing inside the ship, so Naruto had told him that he had to wait until they reached the islands. The blond supervised Sasuke's training carefully and they practiced together every day. In the evening, the little raven looked so tired; he fell asleep almost instantly in the top bunk.

However, Naruto had a feeling Sasuke was avoiding him. Frequently, the little raven asked him to let him study alone, because he said he could focus better. Naruto had been surprised and, although this was a selfish and childish feeling on his behalf, he felt a little hurt that Sasuke didn't want his company and had told him to leave.

Maybe Naruto was thinking too much. Sasuke had always been an introvert and liked to have his own space. He had been like that during his first life and it was very likely he was going to become even more of a loner as he grew. Naruto had no parents, so he couldn't speak from experience, but Shikamaru and his other comrades didn't like to always have their parents around them, controlling what they did. They said it was annoying.

"Is there a problem?" the Hokage asked.

"No..." the blond replied. "It's nothing."

Tsunade also rose from her chair and was ready to return to Konoha, however, her ears heard the unmistakable sound of dice being thrown and excited voices shouting and betting.

Before Naruto could stop her, the Godaime had already entered a room full of sailors, who were enjoying their break gambling. When the men saw her and appreciated her huge cleavage, they asked her what she wanted.

"You boys are gambling, right?" Tsunade said with a confident smile, while Naruto stared wide-eyed.

"Why do you ask, ma'am? Don't tell me you want to join us?"

Tsunade's smile grew even more and she sat at the table, placing a wad of cash over the stained wood.

"Count me in," she said with an overconfident grin. "Unless… you're afraid of losing against a woman."

The sailors laughed but agreed to let her join them. Naruto, in turn, took the chance to escape before anyone could relate him with her. When Tsunade needed to flee the ship owning money to most of the crew, the blond would not be paying her debts!

"_Wise and responsible, my ass!"_ Naruto thought, walking away from the sound of Tsunade's angry screams, who obviously had already begun losing.

When the blond came to his cabin, he shut the door and went to the room he shared with Sasuke. The little boy should still be studying his scrolls, so Naruto would say that was gonna sleep silently on the lower bunk while the raven continued to read.

When he opened the metal door, Naruto noticed that the round window was ajar, letting in a fresh and pleasant breeze. Sasuke was lying with his face down, surrounded by open books and scrolls. However, the raven wasn't studying. He had fallen asleep.

With a smile, Naruto picked up the books and scrolls and laid Sasuke's head on his white pillow. The blonds' eyes widened slightly when he noticed that Sasuke was studying the Katon.

"You're interested, huh? Maybe you'll learn it soon," Naruto whispered.

The boy's black hair waved with the cool breeze and Sasuke pressed one of his tiny hands to his cheek. He looked so serene and peaceful that Naruto could not resist and stroked his hair as he often did when he was a baby.

For a while, the blond stood up, leaning against the railing of the upper bunk, staring at Sasuke while his little chest rose and fell slowly beneath his white t-shirt.

With each passing day, Sasuke became more and more like his _"teen self"_, at least physically. The raven's voice had become lower, to the point that Naruto knew that within a few years Sasuke would have his deep voice back and, possibly, his sharp tongue. None of this bothered the blond ninja; instead it was like having the best of both worlds: his best and his son, as the same person.

Naruto sometimes could hardly believe his luck. Sasuke was _**his**_ son. He was the best son in the world! He never imagined that he could love him so much.

That's why Naruto wanted to do everything right and give his son the best life possible to compensate for all the sadness, despair and darkness that had led him to madness in the first place. But, sometimes, it was so hard to know what to say and do. Like what had happened the previous day during breakfast, when Sasuke suddenly asked him if had met his parents, Mikoto and Fugaku.

"Sorry, Sasuke. But I didn't know them," said the blond, almost choking on toast he was eating.

"Oh..." the raven muttered, visibly saddened.

"What do you want to know about them?"

"I was wondering how they were like. I've been dreaming about them."

Naruto blinked. He wasn't expecting that Sasuke would have dreams about his first childhood, since those memories were so old. But on second thought, maybe it wasn't so surprising. They were precious memories. Happy memories. Obviously, Sasuke would be curious about them, but unfortunately Naruto couldn't give him any information.

When looking at the sleeping boy, Naruto wondered if he was dreaming about his parents again. Lost in his happy memories of them.

The blond thought about kissing the raven's forehead, but ultimately didn't. Sasuke could wake up and get embarrassed. After all, the raven was getting too _"grown up"_ for these _"baby stuff"_ and Naruto didn't want to push him away by making him feel uncomfortable in his presence.

If Sasuke wanted some space, Naruto would give it to him. The blond could only imagine that it wouldn't be nice to have a parent always breathing over his shoulder. Naruto needed Sasuke to know that he trusted him.

Quietly, the blond ninja left the bedroom and closed the door slowly. Ten minutes later, after almost tearing the front door, Tsunade entered the Naruto's cabin.

"Naruto" she said with a serious and composed gaze, but sweating like crazy. "I need you to send me immediately to Konoha. I cannot stay here wasting more precious time when the village needs me."

Naruto just squinted.

"Baa-chan... You lost all your money in the game, didn't you?"

"Nonsense! Don't be ridiculous!" the Hokage said, blushing. "Hurry up and call a frog. I have to go!"

Before the sailors who Tsunade owed money found out she was with him, Naruto summoned a toad and the Hokage left a lot more relieved.

* * *

_Sasuke was in his parents' house, but everything was different. All the windows were closed, the floor and the furniture __were covered in dust, the garden was overgrown with ugly weeds and the lake dried up completely._

_The walls of the house seemed dark and frightening, threatening to eat him alive if he stayed there longer. A house as cold and sad as a graveyard. So Sasuke got out and ran as fast as he could to get away from it, tripping over tree roots and rocks in the woods._

_Tired of running, he leaned against the trunk of a tree and buried his face in his arms._

_He was alone. All alone. There was no one else, not his brother, not his parents, not his family..._

_Nobody._

_"Hey! What are you doing in a place like this?__" a high-pitched voice said._

_Sasuke looked up and stared at the person in front of him, but his eyes were so filled with tears that he could only see a blur of orange and yellow._

_"Are you okay?" t__he boy asked, approaching. "Why are you crying? Are you sad? Are you hurt?"_

_"I'm not crying!" Sasuke growled, noticing that his voice sounded... spiteful. "Beat it!"_

_The boy didn'__t move, continuing to observe him. Somehow, that only made Sasuke angrier. _

"_You _are_ crying" the boy insisted, increasingly annoying Sasuke. "Come on, tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help."_

_"I don't want your damn help!" Sasuke muttered violently. "Go away! Leave me alone!"_

_"But..."_

_"GET LOST!"_

_The__ boy stopped trying to get closer and Sasuke covered his face with his hands, wishing only that irritating guy would go away and leave him alone._

_"Where did you __run off to, baka Naruto?" a girl's voice shouted in the distance._

_Sasuke lifted his head slightly, with his eyes wide. Did he really hear...?_

_"What do you think you'__re doing there in the forest, Dobe?" another voice called. A male voice that Sasuke could have sworn sounded very familiar. "We have a mission to finish. Don't waste time."_

_"Oh__... Ok... I'm going" the boy in front of Sasuke replied._

_"We're leaving without you, Naruto. Hurry up!" the girl cried again._

_Naruto?_

_"Coming!" the boy yelled, looking at Sasuke one last time before running toward the voices._

_For a while, Sasuke couldn'__t move, staring at the blond boy's back, who was dressed in orange, and running out of the woods, towards the light._

_It was him? Was it Naruto?_

_"Tou-chan?" Sasuke muttered, looking as Naruto ran further away. "Wait! Don't go!"_

_With a leap, Sasuke got up and ran after him. When he finally reached Naruto, Sasuke grabbed him by the arm._

_"OW__" the blond yelled, as Sasuke's nails dug into his skin and tore the sleeve of his coat into strips of cloth._

_Alarmed by what he had done, Sasuke dropped his arm and Naruto fell to the ground, moaning in pain._

_"Naruto!" the other two cried at the same time, approaching the blond._

_"You're bleeding," the girl said, looking at Naruto with a worried expression and then to Sasuke. And she screamed. "AH! What is that thing?"_

_It __was so bright Sasuke couldn't distinguish their features. All he could see were their clothes and the contours of their bodies._

_"We must get away from it," the other boy, dressed in blue, said. "It may attack again."_

"Attack?"_ Sasuke thought, more and more confused. He then looked down at his hands and his mouth opened in a silent scream._

_His nails were as huge and sharp as claws. His skin was dark gray and his hair was much longer. With a mixture of horror and shame, Sasuke realized he was naked and the presence of two hideously deformed wings on his back._

_He looked like a monster._

_Sasuke's hands were covered with blood. __As he stared at Naruto on the ground, still clinging to his bloody arm, Sasuke realized that he had been the one who hurt him._

_"I didn't want__ to..." Sasuke mumbled, trying to approach his father, who continued to whimper with pain in the arms of the girl dressed in red. "It was an accident... I just..."_

_"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu"_

_The fireball hit Sasuke's wings, which he unconsciously used to defend himself. Even so, the jutsu's power was so strong that he was thrown against the trunk of a tree._

_Sasuke felt the blood rising in his throat and spat it into the ground. His wings were horribly burned and his body was covered in bruises and scratches._

_"Don'__t you dare come any closer," the young man dressed in blue said, with a cold and arrogant voice before turning to the girl and Naruto. "Take care of the Dobe. I can handle this."_

_Despite the pain, Sasuke tried to get up, staring at the stuck-up boy with an angry glare._

_"Don'__t... call him that..." Sasuke mumbled, but the boy in blue was too quick and kicked him right in the gut, which made him see stars and spit even more blood._

_With his vision increasingly hazy, Sasuke reached out a hand towards Naruto, trying to reach him in vain._

"Papa... Papa..."_ Sasuke tried to say, but his mouth made no sound._

_The cocky guy and the girl in red grabbed Naruto and began to retreat, taking his Dad away from Sasuke._

_"No! __Don't take him!" Sasuke whispered through the cough. "Come back!"_

_With his arm still extended towards Naruto, Sasuke felt tears running down his face, silently calling out to his Daddy._

* * *

Naruto left the cabin and went downstairs to the galley. It was still early, but the blond was starving, so he asked the cook, a big woman who ruled her kitchen the same as a general rules his troops, for some fruit as a snack.

"Dinner will be served in two hours," the cook growled, always with her hands busy peeling an onion or washing dishes. "If you eat now, you'll have no appetite later."

"I won't fill my stomach" Naruto reassured her. "I just wanted something light to snack. My son also hasn't eaten anything since lunch. He's gotta be hungry."

By mentioning Sasuke's name, the cook's eyes immediately softened. There weren't many women on board, just the cook, two maids and a few elderly passengers, but all of them had been captivated by the raven boy, convinced that he lacked maternal care and filling him with treats and attention whenever they saw him.

"What kind of lousy father are you, boy?" the cook grumbled. "Honestly! Letting your own kid starve! Don't you know he's still growing up?"

After giving Naruto a dish with several slices of watermelon, the blond came back to his cabin and sat in the chair of the small living room in front of the window.

After eating a slice of watermelon, the blond ninja got up and opened the bedroom door. Sasuke really had to wake up or the kid wasn't going to sleep at all at night.

"Sasuke" Naruto called. "Time to wake up! Come eat something, sleepyhead."

As he approached the bunk, Naruto blinked. Sasuke was still asleep, but he was moving restlessly in bed, his face twisted in pain and groaning occasionally.

_"Shit! __Not another nightmare!"_ Naruto thought, shaking the child's shoulders to wake him up. "Sasuke... It's okay; it's just a bad dream. Wake up."

The raven's lips trembled. His face was full of anguish.

"Don't leave me..." Sasuke muttered, raising his hand as if looking for someone. "Papa… don't go..."

Naruto was about to hold the boy close, but stopped. He didn't know which _"Papa"_ Sasuke was calling for. What if Sasuke wasn't calling for him? What if he was calling out for Fugaku?

However, the raven continued to stretch his hand, groping the covers and calling his Papa with a growing anxiety. Naruto couldn't stand it another second, so he took the child in his arms and carried him to the living room. After sitting in a comfortable chair, Naruto pressed Sasuke's body against his chest, cradling him.

Maybe Sasuke wanted Fugaku to do it instead of Naruto and maybe he would become upset and disappointed that the blond was there instead of his Tou-san, but Fugaku wasn't there anymore. He couldn't take care of Sasuke or comfort him when the raven needed, but Naruto could.

Heck, Naruto was his father too!

A few minutes later, Sasuke's body stopped shaking and his moans became silent. The boy's eyelids trembled a little before they opened, and his onyx eyes stared at the orange sweater before he looked up, finding Naruto's smiling face.

"Hi" the blond said, not knowing what else to say and waiting for the raven's reaction.

Sasuke stared at Naruto for a while, blinking several times. It was as if his mind was still in dreamland, his head was heavy and tired as if he had just battled.

"Pa… pa?" the raven asked, focusing on Naruto's face. His father's face. "Papa!"

With a smile, Sasuke snuggled up against Naruto's chest, circling his waist with his small arms. The blond stroked Sasuke's black hair, playing briefly with the tiny spikes on back of his head.

"You had a bad dream, huh?" the blond asked. Sasuke nodded but said nothing. Obviously he didn't want to talk about it. "You know what will cheer you up? I brought fresh watermelon from the kitchen. Want to share it with me?"

"Yeah" the boy said, grabbing a slice of watermelon that his Dad had given him without leaving his lap. Maybe he was being a bit of a baby, but Sasuke really didn't care right now. He had his Daddy here; no one was going to take him away.

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto said, biting his own slice.

As he ate his watermelon slice, Sasuke thought about the dream that just had. More specifically, he thought about the boy in blue who had attacked him in the dream with the Katon. Sasuke had felt an immediate animosity for that guy. He didn't like his snooty expression or his "I-am-the-best-one-here" attitude. And he had called his Tou-chan "_Dobe"_! As if he was a lot better than him!

_"What __an asshole!"_ the raven thought.

Sasuke knew it was only a dream, but he couldn't help but feel aggravated because of that boy. He didn't like the girl either, but his aversion was focused mainly on the boy in blue. Damn butthead bastard! If he appeared in front him right now, Sasuke would teach him a lesson he would never forget. He would kick his sorry ass all the way to Iwagakure!

It was decided. The next technique that Sasuke was going to master would be the Great Fireball Technique. But his jutsu would be ten times stronger than the one the boy in blue used. This was his new goal!

* * *

**Okay… I promise I'll try to stop writing nightmares for a while. I know it's a bit repetitive, but I couldn't take this one out of my head.**

**I took the Sanada name from Sanada Yukimura, a famous samurai. A legend says that Yukimura had ten heroes who took an active role at the battles of Osaka Castle. They were called the Sanada Ten Braves, a group of ninja. One of the members was Sarutobi Sasuke himself. Kishimoto-sensei named Sasuke and the Sarutobi clan after this legendary ninja.**

**I really hope you liked this so far. Next chapter, I'****ll explain why I choose Riku. I have an "evil" plan (hehehe!)**

**See ya!**

**PS: ****Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu = Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique**


	44. Sasuke's Best Friend

**Wow! I never expected so many people knew Riku! *Cookies to all of you***

**To those who don't know him, Riku is associated with darkness in one's heart. Many people say that he and Sasuke are a lot alike (whose darkness is stronger? That would be an awesome fight!)**

**In Kingdom Hearts, Riku becomes increasingly obsessed with power, fights his best friend/rival who only wants to save him and take him home, goes to the villain to get the power he wanted and loses his body to the villain (Spoilers: **he gets it back**).**

**I played Kingdom Hearts on 2002; I started watching Naruto in 2007. When I reached Sasuke's Retrieval Arc I was like "What the hell? Dejá vu!". However, if what happened to Riku happened to Sasuke, he would help Konoha and Naruto in Orochimaru's body... Ewwwww! Gross! NO! (sorry Orochimaru fans).**

**By the way: Unmei means "destiny". So it's Destiny Islands ^_^**

**I hope ****you like this. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Sasuke's Best Friend**

サスケの親友 _(Sasuke no shin'yū)_

"_**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu**_

_A technique__ where chakra kneaded inside the body is converted into fire, and expelled from the mouth in a massive orb of roaring flame or as a continuous flamethrower. The scope of the attack is altered by controlling the volume of chakra that is mustered. The released flames will engulf their target, and leave a crater on the ground's surface."_

After carefully reading the scroll for the tenth time, Sasuke closed it and threw it onto the bed. He knew everything he needed to know about the fire jutsu, including its hand seals in the correct order and do it relatively quickly. He knew he had to turn his chakra into fire, extract it from his mouth to his chest and keep it there, and then, he just had to throw it out immediately. Piece of cake!

_"I can do this!"_ the raven thought, remembering once more the boy in blue he had seen in his dream. The battle may not have been real, but Sasuke still couldn't forget it or the feelings of humiliation and anger that boy had awakened him.

Besides, he couldn't wait to show his Tou-chan the jutsu.

With a confident smile, Sasuke got off the bunk, pulled on his shoes and left the cabin. Naruto had said he was going to take a nap in the reclining chairs on deck, so it wouldn't be very difficult for the raven to find him.

The few passengers on the ship had the same idea as Naruto and were enjoying the hot sun to tan and get some sleep outdoors. When Sasuke arrived on the deck, one of the passengers, a nice old lady with white hair, motioned him to come closer.

"Good morning, Sasuke-chan" the old lady said, smiling.

"Good morning."

"You came looking for your father?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Yes. Have you seen him?" the raven asked.

"He's lying in a chair over there," she said, pointing to the bottom of the deck. And there he was! Naruto was sleeping in a reclining chair, with his unmistakable blond hair fluttering in the wind.

"There he is" Sasuke said. "Thank you, Baa-chan."

"You're welcome. Are you two going to train again?"

"Yes" replied the raven with an enthusiastic smile.

"You poor thing..." the old woman sighed, without noticing Sasuke's expression. "You must be so bored on this ship, with no other children to play with you. You must feel very lonely."

Sasuke blinked, utterly confused by the old lady's words.

"Huh? I'm not lonely. Tou-chan is here."

"But is not the same thing, right? It would be more fun if there were other children to play with you and be your friends. "

"Tou-chan is my friend too" Sasuke said.

The old woman shook her head as if Sasuke didn't know what he was talking about.

"He is your father, honey. He can't be your friend. But don't worry" she continued. "When you get to the islands you will make lots of real friends."

Visibly upset and confused, Sasuke left the old lady and walked towards Naruto. What did she mean by "real friends"? His Dad was his real friend! Of course Sasuke liked to play and talk with other children his age and there were things he couldn't do with his Tou-chan. But deep in his heart, Sasuke felt Naruto was more than just his father.

Sasuke knew that the relationship that he and his Dad had was different. Most kids played with their parents and loved them, but there was always a certain distance. Sasuke never felt any distance between him and Naruto, even though the blond was much older than him or because he was his father. When he wanted, Naruto behaved like a child and spoke to Sasuke as if they were equals. They even insulted each other like two classmates.

Sasuke had never felt that he lacked something. Naruto had always been everything to him: father, brother and friend, all at the same time. And the raven never thought it was strange or wrong. On the contrary... it felt right. Like that was the way it was supposed to be.

The raven had made friends in the many lands where they lived, but the feeling that he had for them was different. He didn't mind to make new friends, but what he felt for them wasn't as strong as what he felt when played with his father.

_"He is your father. __He can't be your friend."_

But Sasuke felt that Daddy was his friend. In fact, he felt that he was the person who best understood him, the person who was always there for him and with whom he could always count on and trust, either in bad times or in the good times.

Was that wrong? Was it stupid that Sasuke thought his father was also his closest friend?

As the raven got near Naruto, who was sleeping with his mouth half open, snoring and occasionally muttering _"another bowl please, Teuchi Ojii-chan!"_ with a string of drool running down his chin, Sasuke laughed.

"Tou-chan! I want to train" the raven said, shaking the sleeping blond.

But Naruto pushed him away with one arm and kept sleeping.

"Teuchi Ojii-chan, another bowl!" the blond said with a silly grin on his face. "Sensei! You're going to pay the bill!"

"You're not eating Ramen, Tou-chan" mumbled Sasuke, shaking Naruto again. "Come on, wake up! I want you to train with me. "

As Naruto refused to wake up, Sasuke turned away, picked up a bottle of water and poured it relentlessly over the blond haired head.

"What the hell?" Naruto yelled, with his hair completely soaked.

Calmly, Sasuke put his empty bottle on a table and stared at Naruto with a pout.

"Are you awake now?" the raven asked, with an angry look.

"Sasuke! You bastard! What the hell do you think you're doing? "Naruto mumbled, getting up and wiping his wet head with a towel.

"You were drooling and babbling like an idiot, usuratonkachi" Sasuke replied, crossing his arms over his purple shirt.

Naruto glared at him beneath the towel.

"You didn't have to wake me up like that," grumbled the older ninja. "Damn! Couldn't you have been gentler, teme?"

"Hmph," Sasuke snorted. "I tried, but you sleep like a rock. You promised you were going to train with me, remember?"

Naruto threw the wet towel onto the chair, quickly combed his hair and looked at the sulky child.

"Very well," the blond said. "If you want to train, let's go. But I warn you that now I'm in a very bad mood! Get ready, because I'll wipe the floor with you. "

"We'll see about that" Sasuke said, smirking.

A few minutes later, Naruto and Sasuke faced each other in a makeshift ring made in the ship's deck. Both remained silent and motionless, waiting for the right moment. When a seagull squawked over their heads, Naruto attacked Sasuke with a punch.

As he learned, Sasuke turned away and tried to kick Naruto legs to trip him, however, the blond didn't want to make things easier and blocked the attack effortlessly.

Father and son's cries echoed by ship and the ocean as the spar went on. Some sailors and three passengers came up to see them. They had never seen a ninja fight before, not even a workout, so they were quite excited about it.

Sasuke grabbed both his Dad's wrists and tried to kick him in the face, but Naruto defended himself, pulling the little raven away.

_"This is it!"_ Sasuke thought with a confident smile and making the hand seals.

Naruto opened his blue eyes wide, not wanting to believe what he saw. Those were the hand seals of the Katon! When did Sasuke learn it?

Feeling the heat in his throat, Sasuke took a deep breath and blew with all his might.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

Immediately, Naruto prepared to protect himself against the powerful flames, almost forgetting that it was just a workout. Sasuke opened his mouth and released the jutsu.

Everything that came out was a pathetic little flame and some smoke.

Sasuke and Naruto's eyes widened, both stunned by the result of the jutsu. The raven was so surprised that he lost his balance and fell on the floor with a big thud.

"Itai!" Sasuke groaned. He had skinned the palms of both hands and knees on the wooden floor of the deck.

After the anticipation and shock over the unsuccessful jutsu, the men who were watching burst out laughing at the fallen boy. Sasuke felt his throat and eyes burning, but stifled the tears.

Unable to look his father in the eyes, the raven stood up and ran into the ship, trying to save a little of his dignity. When he reached the cabin, he entered the bathroom and slammed the door with all his might.

"Kuso!" Sasuke shouted at the white and clean walls of the bathroom. Refusing to cry like a little baby, the raven opened the tap of the sink and washed his red face, trying to ease his frustration, anger and humiliation.

Why didn't the jutsu work? He had made the hand seals and summoned the right amount of chakra. What had he done wrong? Why wasn't he able to do the stupid jutsu? Why couldn't he do anything right?

Still gritting his teeth, Sasuke wiped his wet face with a towel and took the first aid kit from the closet. Grunting with pain, the boy cleaned the wounds on his knee. When his vision became blurred due to tears, he wiped them angrily with the back of the hand. He wasn't a crybaby!

Naruto silently entered the cabin and knocked twice on the bathroom door. Inside, Sasuke tensed and stared at the door but said nothing, too ashamed to face him. The jutsu was supposed to be a surprise to his Daddy and impress him. One way to show him that Sasuke was strong… but he ended up making a fool out of himself and looked like a complete loser.

A part of Sasuke hoped that if he became strong and reliable, his father wouldn't think about his former teammates anymore or need them. Sasuke would grow up and become worthy of being Naruto's fellow shinobi. The raven felt, deep in his heart, that this was what had to happen. They were gonna be a team and fight side by side!

_"But that__ won't happen now,"_ the boy thought, feeling his chest heavy with disappointment. _"I'm just too weak. No wonder he wants his old comrades instead. I'm useless and would only be in his way. Tou-chan is so strong and everyone respects him, but I..."_

Naruto walked into the bathroom and approached the angry and humiliated child. The blond knew that words of comfort would not be well received by the demanding raven. Sasuke was a proud person. Hurt his pride was far more painful than breaking both legs.

When the blond came, Sasuke turned face and hid his red eyes under his fringe, however, his lower lip was trembling. Slowly, Naruto took the disinfectant from his hand and cleaned his wounds in silence. Then the blond grabbed several clean bandages and tied them carefully around Sasuke's wounds.

"Can you walk?" Naruto finally asked.

Surprised by the sudden breaking of silence, Sasuke looked at his father before he nodded. In response, Naruto stood up from the floor and opened the bathroom door.

"Great" the feisty blond said. "So let's go back to the deck. We have a fight to finish. "

Caught by surprise, Sasuke gasped with his eyes wide.

"What?"

"We're gonna train" Naruto insisted. "We'll reach Unmei in the afternoon, so we have to train in the morning. Let's not waste time!"

"But..." Sasuke stood his ground. How could he go back on deck after what had happened?

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked. "You're just gonna give up because you weren't able to complete a jutsu?"

"No! I..." the boy replied, surprised by his Dad's serious voice.

"So what's wrong?"

Sasuke looked away, his cheeks crimson with shame. He felt increasingly insignificant and pathetic. How could he even dream of reaching Naruto's level and expect him to acknowledge him as a worthy ninja?

With a softer look, Naruto leaned against the doorjamb. In fact, the blond was very surprised that Sasuke had been able to learn a jutsu by himself and almost be able to master it. Naruto was very proud of his son, but Sasuke was not satisfied with the Katon's failure. He would not understand Naruto's pride.

"I think I shouldn't expect anything else. Like father, like son" the blond ninja sighed. "I did the same thing when I felt humiliated."

Confused, the raven looked at Naruto.

"Humiliated?" Sasuke muttered. "You?"

With an enigmatic smile, Naruto left the bathroom and sat in one of the chairs in the living room. Curious, Sasuke followed him and sat on the couch beside him.

"When I went to the Academy I was full of dreams of greatness. I was going to become the best ninja and show everyone that I was amazing," Naruto said with a smile, recalling how innocent and naive he was back then. "It didn't go well at all. My Ninjutsu was terrible! I couldn't remember or do the hand seals correctly, my Henge was so bad that all the other students laughed at me and I wasn't able to make a single acceptable Bunshin."

Sasuke's black eyes widened with amazement and disbelief.

"Are you serious?" the boy asked, shaking his head in utter disbelief when Naruto nodded. "That can't be! You're so strong! And you can do thousands of clones!"

"Ah... unfortunately it is true. I was a failure," Naruto replied, embarrassed. "Honestly, I was one of the worst students of the Academy. I repeatedly failed the graduation exam. My classmates, teachers and other adults told me I would never be a ninja. Except Iruka-sensei and the Sandaime Jii-chan, no one respected me... They said I was a hopeless loser with no talent and would never be somebody. "

Sasuke still could not believe the Naruto words. He was so powerful and amazing. How could this be true?

But Naruto's eyes, lost in sad memories, left no doubt. His father was telling the truth. For a moment, Sasuke wondered where he was at that time when Naruto was at the Academy and, with a strange uneasiness in his stomach, he asked himself whether he would have been part of people who had laughed and insulted his Tou-chan.

_"No. I would never laugh at Tou-chan"_ thought the boy with love and loyalty for his father. Instinctively, he wanted to be at the Academy at the time and tell everyone that his Dad would become the best shinobi in the world and make them eat what they said.

When people laugh at us and call us names, we feel horrible and low... Sasuke remembered when the adults in Hankagai had told their children not to play with him anymore or the laughter of ridicule from the men in the deck.

"Tou-chan? How did you become so strong? "Sasuke asked.

The sadness in the Naruto's eyes disappeared. When the blond turned to stare at Sasuke, he was smiling warmly.

"Well... there was this other boy in my class who was good at everything," he told said. "He was a genius, super talented, very cool and popular. So I thought if I defeated him that would make me as popular as him. "

Sasuke felt a chill on his back as if someone had touched him with a cold hand.

"And did you beat him?"

"Ah ... no... Not even close. In our first spar, he defeated me in a second. Man, I hated that guy" Naruto continued. It was so strange to be talking to Sasuke about himself. Even if the raven didn't remember the fights they had as children, the blond was almost expecting to see the little raven frowning and look at him with his typical arrogant and annoyed glare. "He was so perfect in every way: Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, throwing shuriken and kunai... everything! I tried to beat him thousands of times, but he was always the best and won. For him, I was just a dropout with no talent who was not even worthy of his attention. He was the genius of our generation, with the highest marks, while I was the failure with the lowest grades. So I decided that he was my rival and I wouldn't give up until I defeat him and make him recognize me as an equal. "

Sasuke blinked. That was exactly what he wanted: to become strong and be recognized as Naruto's equal. He understood his father's feelings towards that genius boy which, strangely, made him feel closer to his Daddy and happier.

"But you're stronger than him now, right Tou-chan?" the little raven asked, smiling proudly. "You beat him, right?"

Naruto tried to smile.

"Yes... I finally beat him" the blond said, trying to hide the sadness behind his smile. _"I beat you... but you never acknowledged me."_

"I knew it! I knew you could do it!" Sasuke exclaimed, excited and clinging to Naruto's shirt. "You're so strong, Daddy!"

Naruto widened his eyes and stared at the smiling child in his arms. In the end, he was wrong. Naruto had been so focused in the past that he hadn't seen what had happened right in front of his eyes.

Sasuke had already acknowledged him for a long time.

* * *

After two and a half hours of training, Naruto dragged Sasuke to the tub and they both took a long bath. After dressing and eating lunch, they heard the ship's horn. Jumping from his seat, Sasuke ran to the nearest window.

"Land!" He shouted. "I can see the islands!"

When Naruto approached him, Sasuke shifted to let him see. The archipelago emerged in the blue ocean as small emerald-green pads.

"Yeah" the blond said with a smile. "Finally, we're here."

Altogether, the archipelago was twenty islands. Some were so small that only had room to build a single house, while others had several villages. The main island was the largest of all and stood in the middle with its mountains and an old inactive volcano. Multiple _torii,_ painted red, rose of the sea around the island, protecting it from the evil spirits from abroad.

As the boat docked at the port of the main island, Sasuke watched with curiosity the big ships that were docked and departed into the ocean and other islands. The raven was even more amazed at the thousands of small boats that were literally clogging the port. He was even more surprised when he saw a group of kids, not much older than he was, going out in these boats towards a small island.

When the ship docked and they were finally allowed to leave, Naruto looked from one side to another, not knowing where to go. Sasuke walked away from his father to watch the boats closer, marveling at the different colors of the candles and the sailors, fishermen and even children and young people, while jumping from boat to boat, doing their daily tasks. When the young raven looked behind him, he saw that the city had been built from the beach, climbing up the slope of the volcano.

The houses near the sea were small and simple, mostly belonged to the fishermen and merchants who relied on the ocean to survive and feed their families. The houses on the mountain were larger and more imposing. They probably belonged to rich families.

"Sasuke" Naruto called. "Come on! We have to look for the leader that Tsunade Baa-chan told us!"

"Okay" the boy replied, running towards Naruto and holding his hand.

The blond ninja looked around and noticed a middle-aged man who was coordinating the unloading of a small fishing boat. Deciding it would be best to ask for directions instead of walking around the island lost, Naruto went to the man.

"Be careful with that fish!" The man shouted to the fishermen. "Every fish that falls to the ground will be deducted from your wages. C'mon! Strength in those legs! My grandmother, God rest her, had more steam than all of you!"

"Sorry? Ojii-chan?" Naruto asked, not even a little intimidated by the fisherman's appearance or attitude.

"What do you want, kid?" the man asked brusquely, he had more to do than talk to tourists. "If you want a boat trip you are talking to the wrong person. The tour boats are on the other side of the marina, this is a fishing boat. "

Naruto frowned.

"I know what a fishing boat is," the blond said. "I don't want a trip. I'm looking for someone. "

"Eh! There are many people in this port. Who do you want to find?" the fisherman asked, staring at the handsome young man in front of him. He knew the type: young pampered and self-centered, that had no idea what was working hard to earn their living. He bet if he threw him a fish, he'd run away so it wouldn't stain his clothes.

"Naruto-dono?" a voice called.

The fisherman and all his men were flabbergasted when they saw the Unmei leader in person at the port, just in front of their humble boat.

"Shigeru-sama!" the man shouted, throwing himself to the ground in a bow.

Naruto looked surprised before turning to the man who was walking towards him, accompanied by two guards.

"You... are you Shigeru-san?" Naruto asked casually, ignoring the stares of the kneeling men and women, bewildered by his impertinence.

Shigeru approached the young ninja. He was wearing a black robe with the symbol of Sanada, two horizontal rows of three rings on each shoulder. Underneath the robe, wearing a white shirt and simple pants.

"My name is Sanada Shigeru" he said, bowing his head in a bow. "On behalf of Unmei and the Sanada clan, I welcome you to our islands."

Realizing the importance of man, Naruto blushed and awkwardly returned the bow, casting a sideways glance to Sasuke for the latter to imitate him.

"Ah... ah... Thank you... Shigeru-san. Thanks for having us in your islands," the blond shinobi said, mentally kicking himself for not having learned how to be more proper. He sounded like a bumbling kid.

After bowing, Shigeru and Naruto stared at each other.

"It's an honor to have you here," the samurai said. "As it is a great pleasure to finally meet the hero of the Fourth Shinobi World War. I heard of your remarkable accomplishments and I would appreciate if I could talk with you whenever possible."

"Thanks..." Naruto said. "You are very kind. In fact, I didn't fight the war alone. All my companions participated with the same fervor."

"In addition to strong, you are also modest," said Shigeru. "We will continue this conversation while walking. I want to take you to your residence."

Sasuke had a kind of glimpse of a man much taller than he, with dark brown hair and dark eyes. His expression was serious and authoritative, as if conscious of his status as leader. It was the same expression on Shigeru's face, a man born to rule his land and his clan.

With some dismay, Sasuke realized he had thought of Fugaku. Shigeru reminded him of him somehow.

Naruto went through the city streets with Shigeru, listening intently as the samurai explained how the port and the market worked, talking about shops and merchants who knew him personally. People on the street all stopped bow down to him, it wasn't hard to see that Shigeru was much loved by his people.

It was impressive. The man seemed to know everyone, from other samurai to the fishermen's children.

The warrior class lived in the higher houses, Shigeru explained. Some houses belonged to different samurai clans, where whole families lived like a small village. Other Samurai lived in their own homes, with or without their wives and children. It was in this area that Naruto and Sasuke would live.

Naruto had to control himself not to scream in awe. The house was huge! It had several bedrooms, five bathrooms (one with a tub as big as a small pool), two living rooms, a spacious kitchen, a garden with stairs that led down to a lake and a waterfall and their own private dojo.

Both Naruto or Sasuke were flabbergasted. None of them was accustomed to such luxury.

"We meet tomorrow at my house," Shigeru said, preparing to leave. "I hope this house is to your liking."

Naruto thanked him again and the samurai left.

As usual, Naruto summoned several frogs that brought him the bags he had left on Mount Myōboku.

Sasuke ran through the house, admiring each division with amazement. They even had food in the kitchen and everything!

"Sasuke! Pick a room, son" Naruto said.

"Huh?"

"Go pick one or I'll choose the best one myself!"

The rooms were upstairs, so Sasuke had to climb the wooden stairs. The boy went into all the rooms, which were nearly the same with a double bed, a large wardrobe and two bedside tables. Eventually, he chose the room that was facing the rest of the city and the ocean, so he could see almost the entire island. That was an awesome view!

Brimming with childlike enthusiasm, the raven told Naruto what room he had chosen and ran off to explore the large garden and the lake at the bottom of a long staircase. Behind the lake, there was also a forest that Sasuke wanted to see. He was about to enter the woods, when he remembered that his Daddy had to unpack their things all alone while he was playing.

Running, the little raven came home and found Naruto in his new bedroom, placing Sasuke's clothes in the wardrobe's drawers.

"Hey," the blond greeted. "Have you seen the whole house already?"

Sasuke nodded and knelt down next to Naruto, taking several shirts from his bag.

"I want to help" the boy said, opening another drawer.

"Thank you Sasuke, but you don't have to" Naruto said. "You can go play. I'll do it. "

But Sasuke shook his head.

"I want to help you, Tou-chan" he insisted, staring at Naruto with his bright onyx eyes. "If the two of us do it, we'll finish it a lot faster, right?"

Naruto blinked; surprised at Sasuke's sudden maturity, but he just smiled and nodded. Of course he could use his clones and finish unpacking alone in a few minutes, but he preferred his son's help.

"Okay. Let's finish this together!"

As Sasuke said, it didn't take long to unpack everything. The boy moved quickly, helping Naruto put everything in its place. If one needed help, the other came immediately as if he knew. When Naruto finished placing the towels in the bathrooms, Sasuke brought his bag of toiletries. No words were needed, both seemed to know what the other was going to do without saying a word.

"Done!" Naruto exclaimed. "Thanks for the help, Sasuke."

"You're welcome" the boy replied.

"I'm impressed," Naruto said. "You could have gone play, but you came back to help your old man. You've really grown."

"Of course! I'm not a little kid anymore, Daddy! I can help you out, you know?"

Naruto smiled warmly and stroked Sasuke's black hair.

"Yes, you do. We make a great team you and me."

Sasuke's eyes widened and he blushed, feeling his heart filled with happiness. At the same time, his stomach growled, apparently empty.

"You're hungry, huh? How about some ice cream?" Naruto suggested. "After so much work, an ice cream came in handy, huh?"

"Yeah!"

Walking slowly, the two went down to the market and bought a box of ice cream in the first store they found. When they returned home they picked two ice creams, storage the box in the freezer and went down to the lake to eat, sitting on the shore.

The sun shone through the foliage of the trees surrounding the lake and the wind losened several leafs from the branches and they floated through the air or landed on the smooth surface of the water.

As they ate the ice cream, neither Naruto nor Sasuke said a word, enjoying the silence, the cool wind and each other's company.

Sasuke felt really happy. His Dad had said that they were a team! This meant that Naruto recognized him as a worthy person. Perhaps it wasn't so strange that Sasuke felt that his Daddy was also his friend. No... There was more than that.

His Dad was not his friend... he was his best friend!

"Hm? Why are you laughing, Sasuke," asked Naruto. "Did you remember something funny?"

"Huh? No... I was just thinking it will be cool to start school tomorrow," Sasuke said. "That way, I'll catch up and be as strong as you, Tou-chan."

"You're right," the blond replied with a kind smile. "You're definitely getting stronger, day after day. It won't take long until you reach me, though I have no intentions of letting you catch me so easily. Tomorrow after school, we'll make a Traditional Shinobi Sparring. That'll be fun. "

"Traditional Shinobi Sparring? What is it?"

"It's a spar between two ninjas from the same village," Naruto explained. "We used to do it a lot when I was in the Academy. It helps to strengthen our body."

"What's the difference between that and a normal spar?"

Naruto turned to his son and placed his fingers.

"Well ... this kind of spar we are fighting someone of our own village, not an enemy. So we have to put our fingers in this position before starting the fight, "Naruto made half the tiger seal with his right hand. "This is the Seal of Confrontation."

Sasuke imitated Naruto, staring at his hand.

"Seal of Confrontation?"

"That's right" said the blond. "Basically, it means _I've come to face you in battle._ When the fight ends, both combatants must entwine the fingers they used to make the Seal of Confrontation. This seal is called the Seal of Reconciliation. "

To Naruto's surprise, Sasuke laced his fingers with his immediately. Although the raven's fingers were much smaller than the blond's, Naruto felt a pleasurable feeling of nostalgia. He wasn't prepared for this... he and Sasuke had never done this seal before, even when Iruka forced them.

Naruto thought maybe they had done it when they clashed in the Valley of the End. But in the end that had only been either an illusion or a dream he had.

But this time... this time it was no dream. This was real.

"It's this how you do it?" Sasuke asked, staring at him intently.

"Yes... It's exactly like that" said Naruto.

Seeing his father smiling and their hands like that, Sasuke felt something warm on his chest. He didn't understand why, but it felt good.

"What does this seal means, Tou-chan?"

"It means that we recognize each other as comrades."

_"Comrades"_ Sasuke thought. There was something in that word that made him feel happy and comfortable. Then, he remembered that his Dad had fought against his rival at the Academy. Did they also make the Seal of Reconciliation?

"Tou-chan? You sparred against that genius kid in the Academy, right? "

Naruto was surprised that Sasuke had brought that up so suddenly, but it was alright. Telling him about the person that Sasuke had been in the past didn't bothered him anymore, in fact, it made him feel even closer to Sasuke.

When Naruto decided to tell his son the whole truth about his past, he wanted Sasuke to know that they had good times together before everything went wrong. Naruto wanted to Sasuke know they had a strong bond, even before the adoption. Becoming a father and son had only strengthened that bond.

"Yes. I fought him hundreds of times, but he always won" Naruto said, scratching his neck. "It was embarrassing..."

"But you beat him in the end!" Sasuke said. "I bet he must feel like a real loser now. He deserves it!"

Naruto widened his blue eyes.

"No, Sasuke! He's not a loser" Naruto hastened to say. He didn't want Sasuke to insult himself! He had to make him understand that he had been a great comrade and friend, not an arrogant bastard who had the fate he deserved. "I always wanted to beat him to prove him that we were both great shinobi. I never wanted to humiliate him or punish him."

The boy stared at his father with confusion etched on his face.

"But you said he thought you were a loser. You said you hated him!"

Naruto stared at Sasuke in the eye.

"Actually... he was the person I admired most" Naruto confessed with a little smile. "He was my idol, my inspiration... I wanted to talk to him. I wanted us to be friends. But it wasn't that simple, because he was so perfect in everything and I wasn't. That's why I turned him into my rival and I became convinced that I hated him. I couldn't believe when they said we were on the same team. That we were going to be teammates."

Naruto looked at the trees around the lake. Beside him, Sasuke was very quiet. His young mind was still trying to understand what his father had told him.

_"__Teammates? He is one of Tou-chan's teammates?"_ the raven thought, feeling a strong and mysterious sting of jealousy in his heart. _"That arrogant boy who told him he was a loser... is one of his precious comrades?"_

Oblivious about the tumultuous feelings in his son's heart, Naruto continued.

"At first, nothing had changed even though we were on the same team. He continued to be the elite while I was at the bottom. But... the more time we spend together, the closer we became. It was fun to be with him. Without even noticing, we became friends. It is a very special bond. "

Sasuke lowered his head, with his heart broken. All this time he had tried to fight for a place in his father's heart which had always been taken.

* * *

After dinner, Naruto told Sasuke to go to bed because they both had to get up early in the morning. Sasuke immediately obeyed, climbing the stairs in silence.

Naruto had thought it was strange that Sasuke was so quiet at dinner, but he deduced that the raven was just tired from the travel and unpacking their bags, or perhaps he was nervous about having to go to a new school the next day.

After washing his teeth and face, Sasuke went to his new room and put on his pajamas. However, instead of lying in bed, he opened the window and sat on the porch, watching the sea, the moon and the starry sky above him.

He felt so stupid. How did he actually believe he could be Naruto's best friend? Sasuke was just a little kid, he could not even compare to his father's rival.

The raven knew that Daddy loved him, and Sasuke loved him a lot too. He was the best dad in the world! But... strangely that was not enough. Sasuke felt that his place had been taken by this man, who Sasuke came to associate with the image of the boy in blue.

Despite what he said, did Naruto really want to be there with Sasuke instead of going on missions with his teammates? Or had he said that so Sasuke wouldn't feel guilty?

And the rival… was he in Konoha right now? Was he looking forward that Naruto came back to the village so they could be a team again without the presence of his snotty son?

Lit only by the moonlight, Sasuke clenched his fists. He would not let that happen! He would train hard and become a shinobi so strong that his Daddy would end up forgetting his rival and acknowledge his son as an equal shinobi.

He would acknowledge him as his best friend.

* * *

**Ok, the rebirth jutsu works ****in a different way with Sasuke and Naruto, mostly because they had very strong bonds before it happened, unlike Hikari and Mamoru. That's the reason why Sasuke feels troubled… because he feels his old bond of friendship with his best friend is being threatened and he's been replaced by somebody else.**

**Sasuke and Riku won't be best friends. That place belongs to Naruto and Sora ^_^ ****still their relationship will be interesting. It won't be Yaoi either… though there already are some fanfictions with them ;)**

**Thanks for reading! See ya!**


	45. Darkness and Light

**Hi! I wanted to warn you that I slightly changed some of the chapters to fit *spoilers* Itachi's wishes from chapter 549 of the manga.**

**So the rebirth jutsu is the second power Itachi gave Naruto just in case he definitely couldn't save Sasuke without killing him and no one knows about the Uchiha's coup attempt except Naruto, Kakashi, Yamato and Tsunade.**

**Naruto asked for Itachi and Shisui's names to be carved in the memorial stone.**

**Well, good reading!**

* * *

**Darkness and Light**

闇と光 _(Yami to hikari)_

Everyone called it the Children's Island.

For generations, the Samidare Island had been the refuge of the Unmei children. The place banned from adults and the young people's paradise.

The island was the smallest of the archipelago and was near the main island. The soil was so fertile that the trees were all huge, rising from the ground and weaving into each other with their huge branches.

Someone, probably a group of young people who grew old and had already died long ago, built several tree-houses, bound to each other by many stairs, bridges and strings. The wood from the houses had been removed and replaced thousands of times, so nobody knew where the old and the new started or ended.

The only unchanging things in the island were the caves carved by the sea.

As soon as they started to walk, the kids wanted to go to the Children's Island. When they were too small to go on their own, parents or older children had to take them there in a boat. It was a huge event when a kid got his own boat to go to the island alone. The samurai's children also had boats, but most gave up using them when learned how to walk on water.

That night, after dinner, a group of four boys left their homes secretly and met on the docks, where they had their wooden boats. Everyone knew that if they were caught on the Children's Island in the middle of the night, they'd be grounded for weeks; get a good spanking and a lecture on the dangers of going to the sea without telling anyone. However, if the boys were scared, none showed it. They all chuckled as they leaped to their boats and rowed toward the island.

As in all the islands, the Children's Island had a legend. They said that, many years ago, before Unmei was even inhabited, an old king had traveled across the ocean in search of riches. His boat had been so heavy with gold and jewels that had stranded on the Children's Island. When the sailors told him they had to leave the treasure on the island if they wanted to leave, the king became mad and killed them all, convinced that they wanted to steal the treasure from him.

Crazy because of the sun and hungry, the King raved and saw his enemies coming to steal the treasure. Therefore, the mad king hid his treasure in the caves of the island, in a place where nobody would find him, and became its guardian. Some people said that the king had died and his ghost still haunted the island, protecting his treasure for eternity. Others said that the king had become a monster or a dragon and if anyone dared to seek his treasure, they would be devoured by him.

When they reached the island, the boys took the shovels and bags from their boats and moved slowly towards the caves. All the kids said they would find the king's treasure someday and be filthy rich, but nobody had been able to find anything except rocks in the caves.

The older boys made fun of the younger ones, saying they had no courage to go search for the treasure at night when no one was watching and they could hear the screams of the mad king, echoing through the caves. But tonight, they would find the treasure and keep it all to themselves! When they were rich and famous, the older boys would swallow what they said.

Two hours later, Akio, one of the kids, began to feel tired and, although he wouldn't admit it, scared too. It was very late, very dark and foggy... what if they couldn't see their way home and get lost at sea?

"Guys?" Akio groaned, touching his necklace with a red lucky charm that his grandmother had given him. "We've been here for hours... what if go home now? We can't find anything... "

"Huh? Want to give up, Akio?" another boy said. "I knew we shouldn't have brought you. You're a sissy!"

"I'm not a sissy!" Akio shouted, blushing.

"You're almost pissing your pants with fear, that's why you want to leave! If you're so scared, go back to your boat and go home to your mommy. We don't need a coward to split the treasure."

"I'm not afraid!" Akio yelled, grabbing at his shovel and running deeper into the cave. "You'll see! I find the treasure first! "

Furious and embarrassed, Akio continued to run up until he couldn't listen his friends' voices and started digging with his shovel. When the shovel got stuck, the boy tried to release it, pushing and kicking the wall.

"Come on! Let go! Stupid shovel! Damn stupid...! "

The crack opened and the entire wall of the cave collapsed. Frightened, Akio jumped back and screamed, convinced that the cave was going to fall down on him. To his amazement, only the wall had fallen and strange light shone through the rocks.

Akio stood up and pulled the rocks from his path. Behind the wall that had collapsed, the boy saw a magnificent room filled with ancient writing on the floor and walls. In the center of the room, glowing with a beautiful violet light, a huge crystal was wrapped with metal chains. But what most fascinated Akio was the sword stuck inside it.

The sword was magnificent. Like those legendary swords that he had heard in the stories. Magic swords that could make any man an invincible warrior.

Akio entered the room and walked toward the sword and the crystal, like a moth drawn to a flame, his earlier fear of ghosts forgotten. When his little hands touched the crystal, the light became stronger and an aura surrounded him.

"Ah," the boy cried, finally feeling scared. "What is this? Guys! Help! I found... "

The fear expression in Akio's face disappeared and the crystal stopped shinning.

"Akio" the other three boys cried, open-mouthed as they entered the room. "Akio you found it! You found the treasure room! What is that? A sword? How did you find this place?"

Akio stood still and silent, his back to his friends.

"Akio?"

Slowly, Akio turned around. When he finally looked at the other boys, his eyes shone with a violet light and he smirked.

* * *

Sasuke wasn't afraid to have to go to a new school. He was used to to being the new kid ever since kindergarten. Still, the raven felt a little uneasy. All these time, he had studied with civilians; this was the first time he would learn with warriors.

Naruto had come with him, not only to find out where was the school was but also because he wanted to accompany his child on that special day. Sasuke pretended to be reluctant and told him he was old enough to go alone, however, as soon as they left home, Naruto felt Sasuke's little fingers wrapped around his, clutching them tightly.

Sasuke's first day of school recalled Naruto of the first time he had left the boy in the kindergarten. Sasuke was little more than a baby and had never been separated from Naruto more than a few minutes.

* * *

_When Naruto landed __Sasuke on the floor, the boy immediately hid behind his father's legs, trying to hide from the kindergarten teacher who was kneeling on the floor to greet him._

_"Hi,__ Sasuke-chan" the lady said with a friendly smile. "My name is Izumi. I'll be your sensei. I'm very happy to meet you... don't you want to come inside?"_

_Sasuke peered through Naruto's legs of and saw a room full of toys and other children playing. Despite being curious, the child stayed where he was._

_"Come on, Sasuke" Naruto said. "I told you. Today you have to stay with Izumi-sensei because I go to work. Look! So many little boys and girls! Wouldn't it be fun to play with them? And can you see? They have a lot of toys."_

_Sasuke became more curious and moved away a few meters from Naruto to peek through the classroom's door._

_"Papa! Look! Toys__" the toddler cried with a smile._

_"Yes, they're toys__" Naruto said. "Go play!"_

_Izumi opened the door wider and Sasuke timidly entered the room. Some of the other kids looked at him but quickly focused on their toys. Sasuke looked back, making sure that Naruto was still close, and picked up various toys that were scattered on the floor. A few seconds later, he sat down and started playing._

_Naruto told himself to leave, but a part of him __didn't want to go. How could he just leave his baby behind?_

_"He'll be fine," Izumi said, as if guessing Naruto's thoughts. "You can rest assured, Uzumaki-san."_

_"Yeah I know__..." Naruto said, approaching the little boy. "Sasuke?"_

_The little raven looked at Naruto and smiled at him, convinced that his Daddy had changed his mind and was going to play with him. Sasuke didn't mind staying there, as long as his Papa stayed too._

_"Papa take!" he said, handing Naruto a teddy bear. "Play!"_

_"Now I can'__t, son," Naruto said calmly, putting the teddy on the floor. "I have to go to work, but you can play with Izumi-sensei and the other kids."_

_Sasuke shook his head stubbornly._

_"No! Play Papa!__"_

_With a heavy heart, Naruto hugged his son tenderly. The blond had never felt like this in his entire life. It was like being separated from Sasuke was physically painful. After all, he was still so small... what if something happened to him?_

_"Daddy is coming for you soon," Naruto said, looking at the toddler's onyx eyes. "Goodbye."_

_Unwilling, __Naruto let go of Sasuke, walked away and left the room._

_"Papa? Papa!" the raven cried as he saw his father leave without him. "Papa! Papa!" _

_Terrified, Sasuke dropped the toys, got up and ran to the classroom door. Thick tears streamed down his red cheeks._

_"Your Daddy will be right back, Sasuke-chan" Izumi said, trying to calm down the crying child who tried to reach the doorknob in vain._

_Naruto continued to walk the halls, resisting the powerful urge to turn back. The blond knew that if he did, would never be able to leave his baby boy again._

* * *

Over time, Sasuke became familiar with the kindergarten and being separated from his father for a few hours. Mainly because Naruto had assured him that whatever happened, Daddy would always come back to take him home.

Almost four years later, Sasuke didn't cry in fear of going to school anymore. Naruto's baby had grown up and their separation was inevitable.

For Naruto, these thoughts were painful. Perhaps it was because he had wished to create a bond with Sasuke ever since childhood, or perhaps for having chased him for four years or even because he had become his precious son. The blond shinobi wanted Sasuke to enjoy his company and still need him, though it was very selfish. But Sasuke's life was his alone and the raven would be the one to make his decisions and find his own way.

_"If we love someone, we should let them go, right?"_

People on the street, used to familiar faces, gazed at them with interest. Several girls blushed when they saw Naruto and whispered with her friends, giggling nervously. Other samurai were surprised and excited when they saw the Hitai-ate in the blonds' forehead, recognizing him as the famous ninja hero who came to the islands.

The school did not pass unnoticed: it was an old but robust building, with white painted walls, surrounded by gardens and training fields.

As classes were about to start, many kids ran quickly to the main gates of the school. Surrounded by his future classmates, Sasuke blushed and dropped Naruto's hand abruptly.

"You don't need to go to school with me, Tou-chan" the raven said. "I can go alone from here. You can go now. "

"Oh? But I wanted to talk to your teachers," Naruto said. "I'd like to know them and..."

"No!" Sasuke said, even more embarrassed. He wasn't going to enter his new school with his father in tow like a scared little brat. The all the other kids came alone, if they saw Naruto talking to the teachers, Sasuke would look like a total wimp. "I can go alone. I don't need you to come."

A little hurt, Naruto nodded.

"You're ashamed of me, huh?" the blond ninja said. "Okay, you're right. You're already old enough to go alone, so..." Naruto took something from his pocket and gave it to Sasuke. "This is for you."

Sasuke's dark eyes widened. In the palm of his right hand shone a silver key.

"A key...? Is this our house key?"

"Yes," Naruto replied with an encouraging smile. "When your classes are over, you can go home even if I'm not there. The house key is a big responsibility, but I think you're ready for it. You're big boy now. Well... You better go if you don't want to be late to your first class. See you at home!"

"Okay. Bye!" Sasuke said, running through the gates until he reached the school's metal door.

"_You__'re ashamed of me, huh?"_

The raven stopped with his hand inches from the doorknob. When he looked back he saw that Naruto was still in the same place, watching him from afar. The blond smiled at him and waved goodbye to him before turning around and leaving.

Sasuke walked away from the door and ran towards Naruto.

"Papa!"

Surprised, Naruto turned back as Sasuke jumped towards him and hugged him tightly, burying his face in his belly.

"Sasuke?" Naruto muttered, confused by the sudden change in the child's attitude.

"I'm not ashamed of you" the boy said, still with his face leaning against his father's body. "Can you come get me after school? Just for today... tomorrow I can go alone. "

Naruto blinked before smiling warmly and landed a hand on his son's head.

"Of course. I'll be here to take you home."

* * *

When Naruto arrived at Shigeru's huge mansion, he was greeted by an old lady with big green eyes and white hair in a pun on top of her head. In her right hand, she held a broom.

"Yes?" she asked. "What do you want, boy?"

"Ah ... I came to talk to Shigeru-san... he told me to come here, so..."

The old lady looked at Naruto from top to bottom before her eyes settled on his Hitai-ate.

"Are you the ninja from Konoha?" she asked in astonishment.

"Ah... yes. My name is Uzumaki Naruto and... "

"So don't just stand there," she said. "Come inside. My son will be talking to you in a minute."

Before Naruto could say anything, the old woman grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the house with surprising strength for someone her age. As expected, the Sanada leader's home was even bigger than the house he lent to Naruto. There were ancient treasures, antiques, armors, swords and old paintings everywhere. Sliding doors were decorated with drawings of samurai fighting or mythological animals such as the dragon, the phoenix and the Kirin.

The old woman took Naruto to the living room and forced him to sit on a cushion beside a small table. The blond tried talking to her, but she had disappeared through another door. In less than a minute, she had returned with a pot of tea and cakes.

"My son is attending a meeting, but he'll see you soon" the old woman said, pouring her tea with the elegance of a geisha.

"Your son?"

"My name is Sanada Kiyomi" she said with a hoarse laugh. "I am Shigeru's mother."

"Oh! Okay... Kiyomi Baa-chan "Naruto said, regretting it soon after. "I mean... Kiyomi-san... Ah... ah... Sanada-sama..."

Kiyomi burst out laughing.

"Kiyomi Baa-chan... that's new! Not even my grandson calls me that. It's actually endearing. Well, I'll be the Kiyomi Baa-chan for you, Naruto-chan."

Naruto blushed when he heard her treating him like a little kid, but he guess that was fair. If he was going to call her a grandma, she was entitled to treat him as a child.

While drinking tea, Naruto looked around. Like the rest of the house, the living room was imposing, filled with antiques that were worth a fortune and tastefully decorated. However, caught the attention of the young shinobi weren't the old armors nor the golden daggers, but a picture just above the fireplace.

Immediately, Naruto recognized Shigeru, although the latter was younger and was smiling. Beside him was a very beautiful woman with black hair and hazel eyes, and in their midst stood a boy with brown hair, smiling.

"Is that Shigeru-san's family?" Naruto asked.

Kiyomi looked at the picture with a sad gaze.

"Yes ... they were my daughter-in-law and my eldest grandson," the old lady replied. "They both died eight years ago."

Naruto blinked and stared at Kiyomi.

"I'm sorry."

"The winters are harsh on this island" Kiyomi refilled his cup of tea. "Many people became ill with a new type of flu virus that had no cure. It was very fast; people got a fever and died in a few days. Unfortunately, my daughter-in-law, Miya, and my grandson, Hatori, succumbed to the disease. "

Naruto looked back at the family portrait. They seemed so happy together... and the boy, Hatori, he shouldn't have been much younger than Sasuke.

"Shigeru-san must have been devastated," the blond said, not wanting to think about how he would feel if he lost Sasuke like that.

"Yes" Kiyomi nodded, closing her eyes. "My son could never get over his wife and son's deaths. Shigeru is still grieving."

Naruto nodded slowly before remembering that Kiyomi said that Hatori was her eldest grandson.

"Do you have another grandchild?" the blonde asked, to which Kiyomi nodded. "Is he Shigeru-san's son as well?"

"Yes. His name is Riku" Kiyomi's green eyes shone with pride when she spoke of her grandson. "He turned six in the past January. I believe that he is your son's age, right?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yes. Sasuke turned six in July. This means that they will be classmates. I hope they'll get along."

"Me too. Would like to meet your son, Naruto-chan."

"I'll bring him here one day, Kiyomi Baa-chan" Naruto looked around, expecting to see a picture of Riku, but there was none. "Your grandson... Riku... isn't there a picture of him?"

Kiyomi blinked and her eyes became suddenly sad and angry at the same time.

"No... We have several photos of Riku, but they are all stored in albums in my room."

"Huh?"

Kiyomi looked out the window, lost in thought.

"Riku isn't the Miya's son" she said. "He was born two years after Miya and Hatori died."

"Oh, I see ..." Naruto muttered, still confused that Shigeru didn't have pictures of his second child around the house. "So Shigeru-san married again, huh?"

Kiyomi shook her head.

"No. Riku's mother was one of the strongest warriors of the islands" she said. "She was as strong as Shigeru, thus they became rivals since they were children."

"Rivals?"

"Her name was Rei. I always knew she loved Shigeru, but my son never realized her feelings. I guess he never thought of her as a woman either. Miya was very feminine while Rei had always been like one of the boys" the old lady lowered her head. "When Miya Hatori and died, Shigeru lost the will to live... the only thing that held him to the living world was the duty to the clan. The only person that could wake him up was Rei when she asked him to fight her every day at our family's dojo. One thing led to another and... well, she ended up pregnant. "

Naruto felt his cheeks burning.

"Rei died a few days after giving birth and Shigeru brought Riku home," the old lady continued. "My son would not run away from his responsibilities."

"Responsibilities?" asked Naruto. That sounded so... cold.

The sliding door opened and Shigeru came before them, slightly surprised to see Naruto drinking tea and chatting with his mother.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting, Naruto-dono" the Sanada clan leader said.

"Ah ... it's okay..." Naruto stammered, embarrassed to have had such a personal talk with the mother of the man who ruled the archipelago.

Shigeru smiled at him and motioned for Naruto to follow him down the hall.

* * *

It was just a formality, but Sasuke was taken to the school's doctor before being allowed to go to the classroom.

The doctor was an old man, with huge glasses that made him look like an owl. He told Sasuke to sit in a chair and remove his dark blue shirt. After he checked his torso, the old doctor checked his vision and hearing and asked him if he had any health problems or allergies.

"I can't eat strawberries. My tongue swells like a balloon and I have to take a shot right away" the boy said, refusing to reveal to the man that he also got blisters all over his ass.

The doctor nodded and wrote something on paper. A second later, a man entered the medical wing and looked at Sasuke.

"Are you Uzumaki Sasuke?"

Sasuke nodded.

"My name is Arai Tadao" he introduced himself. "I am going to be your teacher. Come with me, I want to introduce you to the rest of the class."

Sasuke gulped, but nodded and left the ward next to Tadao-sensei. The teacher placed a calloused hand on his shoulder and the told raven about school and about the subjects he was going to learn. The only subject that Sasuke would be excused was the Bushido class, the way of the samurai. Instead, Sasuke would learn Ninjutsu with his father and Iruka-sensei.

To the boy's surprise, he learned that some teachers were ninjas who had come to live Unmei after they had retired or had moved there on their villages' orders. Most had come to teach ninja techniques to the new generations of samurai. They had to learn them and how to fight against them.

When they reached the classroom and Tadao opened the door, the students' murmurs silenced immediately. Sasuke felt all their eyes on him.

The boys stared at the raven with interest, wondering if he was as strong as his famous father. The girls were very happy with his appearance, chattering on how cute he was. Maybe just as cute as Riku.

Meanwhile, the silver-haired boy stared at Sasuke with his blue eyes and smiled confidently.

_"Interesting"_ Riku thought. _"Let's see what you are made of."_

Throughout the day, Sasuke was bombarded with questions by his new classmates. The kids wanted to know everything about the shinobi world and asked him many questions about Naruto and the war. The raven answered some questions, but then made it clear that he wanted to concentrate in class. Several girls immediately became infatuated with him, describing him as the cute, serious and cool type. An hour later, they were debating who was cuter: Riku or Sasuke.

Sasuke quickly got to know who the famous Sanada Riku was: Shigeru's only son, heir to the clan and the future ruler of Unmei. He was the best student in school (who had defeated even his senpais), extremely talented, a genius like no other and super popular.

Everyone seemed to adore Riku and worshiped him. Not only because he was elite and practically royalty, but they also admired him for his incredible skills. His cold and distant attitude made him even cooler in the eyes of his classmates.

Riku didn't approach Sasuke, nor spoken to him. When the raven and he exchanged glances during a lesson, Riku smiled at him arrogantly and quickly looked away.

_"__You bastard"_ Sasuke thought, pouting. _"Who the heck do you think you are?"_

The last class in the afternoon was Kenjutsu. The students were taken to the school's dojo and each received a wooden sword. The teacher was a bald old man, with a long white mustache and missing his left eye, who every one respectfully called Masamune-sama due to his extensive experience with the sword.

"I know we have a new student among us" Masamune said, staring at Sasuke with his single eye. "Come here boy, I want to look at you. And bring your sword. "

Sasuke obeyed and stood up, listening to the worried whispers behind him. Masamune looked at him from top to bottom like the doctor had done before staring deep into his dark eyes. Sasuke felt a strong desire to blink, but he didn't, keeping eye contact with that serious and powerful swordsman.

Suddenly, Masamune attacked him with the sword, trying to hit him in the arm. Sasuke moved quickly and managed to block his attack, although the strength of man had nearly thrown him to the floor.

The other kids gasped, very surprised. Only a few of them had managed to block Masamune's attacks.

"You have good reflexes," said Masamune. "I wonder what your level is."

After that, Masamune asked several students to fight against Sasuke to test him. Although they were interested in the ninja in training, all students wanted to defeat Sasuke. After all, he was going to be a ninja and, as future samurai, they were anxious to show him their superiority.

The first fights were easy. Sasuke defeated three students in less than two minutes, whether pointing his sword to a vital point or disarming them.

"You have talent, boy" Masamune said impassively. "Riku!"

Riku got up off the ground and calmly walked to the center of the dojo. Sasuke wiped a drop of sweat from his forehead and grabbed the wooden katana tighter. Riku had never been defeated. In fact, his fights never lasted more than thirty seconds.

"In position" Masamune yelled.

Riku smiled and looked at Sasuke with an lack of interest.

_"I will rip that smile right of your face"_ the raven thought.

"Give up while you can," Riku whispered to Sasuke so softly that only he heard.

"Hmph!" Sasuke snorted.

"Ready?" Masamune said, while both boys stared. "Fight!"

The two wooden swords clashed against each other. Sasuke blinked; amazed with Riku's strength... he was almost as strong as Masamune!

"Is that all you got?" the clan's heir said, with the same relaxed smile. "My turn!"

Sasuke almost hit the floor when Riku attacked him consecutively and with impressive speed. The raven had never met another kid that could fight this well. Sasuke could only block his attacks; he was too quick for the raven to fight back.

"Feel this!" Riku tried to point his sword against his throat, but Sasuke stepped back in time and finally attacked him.

"You talk too much!" Sasuke said.

"Heh, you still don't get it..."

Sasuke saw an opening and tried to attack Riku's chest, however, the silver-haired boy was faster and hit the raven's sword. Sasuke's black eyes widened in horror as his katana broke free from his hands and flew through the air, falling into a corner of the dojo.

"Riku wins!" Masamune exclaimed, followed by a chorus of excited screams from the other students.

Sasuke stared at Riku with a mixture of bewilderment and anger on his face.

"Nice try" Riku said, turning his back and leaving the ring with the dignity of a winner.

"Nice, Riku!" one of the boys shouted.

"No one can beat Riku. He is the strongest!"

"Riku-kun! You're so cool!"

Sasuke clenched his fists.

* * *

Naruto was exhausted after leaving Shigeru's house. He never thought that it was _**so**_ difficult to set up teams! He had to learn the skills of each warrior, ninja or samurai, know what skills were complementary and if the team's members would get along.

The blond learned that joining warriors who hated or distrusted each other could be beneficial on a long mission, giving them time to deal with their differences, but it would be disastrous in a shorter mission because they could kill each other instead of their enemies.

And it was all the responsibility of the ruler, for it was he who took the decisions.

_"Being Hokage will be more complicated than I thought,"_ Naruto thought as he walked towards the school. _"It takes so much thinking and planning at the same time... no wonder Tsunade Baa-chan is always so grumpy all the time."_

When Naruto arrived at the school's gate, he saw Sasuke leaning against a tree and a frightening expression on his face. The boy looked like he wanted to kill someone.

"Hi!" Naruto greeted, trying to ignore Sasuke's, very convincing, killing intent. "What's going on? It looks like you swallowed a lemon."

Sasuke glared at him, grabbed his backpack and left the school without saying a word. Worried, Naruto went after the sulky child, keeping, however, a certain distance. He had never seen his son so angry before.

"Sasuke" Naruto called, few meters behind the raven. "What happened at school?"

"Nothing!" Sasuke muttered, continuing to walk.

"If you're upset it's because something happened. Come on, tell me what's wrong."

"It was nothing. I don't want to talk about it. I want to go home."

When they arrived home, Sasuke ran to the door, opened it with his new key and ran into the bedroom. Once he found the wooden katana Fukasaku had given him, the boy left home and ran to the garden.

Sasuke felt his anger eating him away from within like a cancer. The only thing he could think about was how he had been defeated so easily and how Riku had looked at him as if he was worthless and weak.

_Weak…_

_"I have to __get stronger"_ Sasuke thought, beating his katana furiously against the trunk of a tree. _"If I can't even beat that asshole, I'll never be a ninja. Power... I need power. "_

Naruto watched Sasuke train with wooden katana. The raven was seething and also seemed humiliated. Did someone tease him at school? Or maybe ... maybe he had been beaten by another student.

Naruto recognized the look of pure hatred and frustration in his son's black eyes. And he didn't like it at all.

"Sasuke? Are you okay? "

Sasuke continued to train, without even looking at him.

"I'm training," the boy said harshly. "Leave me alone."

"I want to know what happened in school today," Naruto insisted. "Why are you so angry? What happened?"

"Nothing, I told you. Now let me train!"

"Talk to me, Sasuke. Tell me why you're so upset" Naruto approached him. "Tell me... were you beaten by someone?"

Something inside of Sasuke exploded like a hidden bomb. It was as if the anger and shame he felt had multiplied by a thousand when he heard Naruto say those words.

"What the hell do you know about it?" the raven roared with such rage that Naruto was taken aback. "You know nothing! NOTHING! How can you understand?"

"I know what it is like to be defeated. I know how you feel... "

"Shut up! You don't know anything, you idiot!" Sasuke growled, unconsciously activating his Sharingan.

At that moment Sasuke forgot he was talking to his Dad. He forgot all the good times they had spent together. Nothing else mattered. He looked at Naruto as if he were an enemy to kill, dumping on him all his feelings of humiliation and failure.

The words that came out of Sasuke's mouth came from a very dark place in his heart.

"You think you know how I feel just because you were a loser at the Academy? But you don't know! So go away and leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you. I don't need you! _So get lost, you hopeless Dobe!"_

The smack echoed through the garden, completely silencing Sasuke. The raven touched his cheek, which began to turn red. Naruto still had his hand raised in the air, staring at him with a cold, angry and hurt gaze.

It was like the vengeful Sasuke was back with all his anger and hatred. It was as if everything Naruto had done for Sasuke over those last six years had been for _nothing_.

"Very well," Naruto said, trying to control the anger and sadness in his voice. "If you want me to go away, that's what I'll do. Train as much as you want."

Naruto jumped onto the roof and disappeared in seconds. Sasuke dropped the katana, which fell to the ground with a thud.

For a moment, the boy could not even think straight. What had just happened? What has gotten into him? It was as if all that had passed since he was beaten by Riku had been some sort of weird nightmare. Like he couldn't see anything but anger.

Sasuke had felt so angry, so ashamed... He just wanted to feel good about himself again. He didn't want to feel like a loser, he just wanted to be strong to be able to defeat Riku. When Tou-chan had spoken to him, Sasuke just felt worse.

A part of Sasuke, a dark and ugly part that even he didn't recognize, wanted Naruto to suffer. He wanted to hurt him and put him down and he felt pleasure in it... That's why he had said all those horrible things.

It was as if he wasn't the one talking, but someone else. Someone bad, bitter and cruel...

"Oh, no... no..." Sasuke groaned, feeling the tears rolling down his red cheeks. "What did I do? Why did I say that?"

Sasuke's Sharingan disappeared and the raven stared at the floor, seeing his tears fall one by one on the dry land. The words he had said he still echoed in his head. He had called his own Dad an idiot and a loser...

_"I__... called him Dobe"_ Sasuke thought, grief-stricken with dismay and remorse. _"Why? Why did I call him that? I... What am I?"_

The raven fell on his knees, feeling his cheek throbbing painfully. His Tou-chan had never slapped him before... ever! He looked so angry at Sasuke when he left.

As if he hated him.

The boy sniffed twice, wiped his tears with the back of his hand, grabbed the katana and went home. He didn't want to train anymore, no longer interested to be strong to defeat Riku. All he wanted was to erase what he had done and said to Daddy. He just wished that nothing had ever happened. So, Sasuke put the katana in his room again and sat on the doorstep, waiting for Naruto to return so he could apologize.

Hours went by, slow and painful. Sasuke just left the doorstep to go to the bathroom and eat a cup of instant ramen heated in the microwave. However, three hours later, his father hadn't returned home.

Scary thoughts crossed through Sasuke's mind. What if Sasuke had gone way too far? What if Naruto was so angry that he never wanted to see him again? What if he had gone and left Sasuke alone on the islands?

"Daddy..." the boy whimpered, his heart torn with regret.

When the sun went down, Sasuke was too worried to sit at home waiting. The boy closed the door with the key and left the property, venturing into the almost deserted streets to find Naruto.

* * *

"Hey! Boy! Don't you think you should sleep in a bed? This table is not very comfortable. "

Naruto awoke to someone shaking his shoulders. Slowly, the blond opened his heavy eyes and saw two small cups of sake in front of him and the employee of the bar where he had entered.

"Oh, shit…" the young ninja muttered, rubbing his eyes and stood up from his chair. When he looked out the window he saw that it was night. "Damn! How long have I been out?"

"I would say almost five hours," the man replied, taking the cups of sake. "It's almost ten o'clock."

Naruto could not believe it. He had only drunk two small glasses of sake and had fallen asleep on the table as if he had drunk a sleeping pill instead. Why the hell did he have so little tolerance for alcohol?

Ashamed, Naruto paid his bill and left the bar towards the dark and deserted streets near the harbor. He had to go home as soon as possible. How could he have left Sasuke alone for five hours?

Sighing and with an irritating headache, Naruto rubbed his forehead. He had been so angry and hurt by Sasuke's words that he just had to back off to organize his thoughts before he said or did anything drastic.

Sasuke... had scared him. For a moment, Naruto thought he was in the presence of the Sasuke who he fought against in the Valley of the End, under the bridge in the Land of Iron, in war and in that burning village. His expression was exactly the same, full of hatred, contempt and anger. It was as if adopting Sasuke, raising him, feeding him, dressing him and loving him wasn't important at all. Nothing had changed.

Despite all that Naruto had done, no matter how much he loved him, Sasuke still had all that darkness within his heart.

_"I failed"_ the blond thought, listening to the sea waves in the distance. _"It seems I can't save Sasuke no matter how hard I try."_

Naruto didn't know what to do when he got home and had to face Sasuke again. How would he be now? Grumpy? Angry? Or just indifferent? What should Naruto do? He had slapped him. Should he be sorry to have lost his mind or stand firm and punish the kid? Naruto had no idea how to act...

_"I am a worthless __parent, huh Itachi?"_

The blond shinobi was about to jump onto the nearest roof when he heard two voices arguing near the boats at the marina. Naruto would have ignored them if I had not recognized one of the voices.

"Please, sir. It's all the money I have."

"I said no, brat! How many times do I have to tell you to go away? I'm not going to take you on my boat. "

"Then... I can work on the ship. I can pay for my ticket. "

"No. Now beat it! "

"Please... I have to go. It's important! I think my Dad left in one of the other ships. I have to go after him!"

"Listen kid, I won't take you anywhere. My boat doesn't cross the ocean!"

"But ... you're the only captain in the port now," the child's voice was choked by sobs. "Please... I'll do anything..."

"I told you what I had to say, kid. Now go home."

Naruto came up enough to see a man with a captain's uniform leave the docks as a boy fell on his knees and burst into tears, sobbing desperately. His little body shaking as he wept.

Naruto was stunned. Sasuke actually thought he had left the islands on a ship and he had come after him. He had begged the man to take him to one of the boats and was now on crying the dirt floor because he thought he had lost Naruto.

_"Oh, t__eme..."_

Sasuke was crying so much that when Naruto approached him he didn't even notice.

"Son?"

Sasuke's body stopped shaking and he turned around, with his eyes brimming with tears.

"Tou-chan..." the boy whimpered, getting up and running towards Naruto but stopping a few feet away from him, barely able to look him in the eye. "I waited for you. I waited a long time, but you didn't come back. So I came looking for you" a tear ran down his crimson cheeks. "I looked for you everywhere, but I couldn't find you. I… I thought you were gone... I thought you went into one of the boats and..."

Naruto said nothing but raised his arms. With his lips trembling, Sasuke jumped to his arms and hugged him, burying his face in Naruto's blond hair.

"Daddy, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry," the little boy moaned, while Naruto rocked him. "I don't know why I said those mean things. I didn't want you to be sad or mad at me, I swear! I'm sorry... you can ground me. I... I'll glue my mouth with sticky tape."

Naruto laughed and started walking towards the house.

"I think the tape is too much, Sasuke" said the blond.

Instead of running or jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Naruto decided to slowly walk the streets with Sasuke in his arms in silence. They were almost home when the raven finally gained the courage to speak again.

"Papa? I don't think that you're a loser... or a Dobe... "

"I know," Naruto replied.

"Were you very angry with me?"

"Well... I would be lying if I said no" Naruto confessed. "You looked so mad at me. It was as if you hated me. "

Sasuke squeezed him tighter, feeling his eyes filled with tears again.

"I don't hate you, Daddy" the little boy said, crying with remorse again. "I can't hate you, not even when I'm very, very angry."

Naruto turned a corner and got into his garden. The smell of the camellias was in the air.

"Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"Would you really go after me on a ship?"

"Of course I would."

"Wouldn't you be scared?" Naruto asked, opening the front door with one hand and holding the child with the other. "What if I was very far away? What if it was dangerous? "

"I'd still go after you" Sasuke replied, unwavering. "Even if it was dangerous, I would go after you and bring you home. No matter what happened, I'd definitely bring you back. "

Naruto opened his blue eyes in disbelief. With the same determination, Sasuke had said what Naruto had promised years ago.

"What if I were in danger or didn't want to come back?" the blond asked. "What would you do?"

Sasuke thought for several seconds before answering.

"I would saved you. I'd dragged you home if I had to; even if I had to beat you."

Naruto raised a blond eyebrow.

"Are you saying that you would beat me up to bring me home?"

"I'd bring you back home even if I had to break both your arms and legs."

Unbelievably shaken, Naruto felt a tear running down his cheek. It was just too much… He had chased the raven for so long and so desperately that he had never expected to hear him say he would do the same for him.

Sasuke still had darkness hidden in his heart, but he also had plenty of light to face it. Maybe some of that light had come from Naruto.

* * *

After dinner, Naruto washed up and went up to his room, where he stumbled upon Sasuke, half asleep, lying on his bed.

"Hey! What are you doing here, son?" the blond asked, lifting the sheets and lying next to the sleepy child who had been waiting for him. "You should be sleeping by now."

"I wanted to talk to you" Sasuke said, approaching Naruto. "I wanted to tell you why I was so angry and... mean this afternoon."

Sasuke told his father everything about the kenjutsu class and Riku, even the embarrassing details of his defeat.

"I hate that bastard" the raven said, pouting. "He thinks he's so good. I wish he would sit on top of his own katana so it would go right up into his ass."

Naruto smiled in the dark, glad Sasuke couldn't see his face. Man, the kid and such a mouth.

"Sasuke, watch your tongue… Anyway, you didn't win the first round, but that does not mean you can't defeat him" the ninja said, speaking from experience. No wonder Sasuke had gotten so mad. "Nobody's invincible, Sasuke."

"That asshole looks so perfect. I don't know if I can beat him, it seems impossible."

"Nobody's perfect. We all have some weakness. I'm sure that the secret to defeating Riku is in finding his weakness and, of course, training hard. "

"He thinks he is so much better than me..."

"Let him think about what he wants" said Naruto. "Even if he thinks he's best, even if everyone says he's the best, you have to believe in yourself and not give in. One day, he will acknowledge you are strong."

Sensing that his Dad was thinking of his rival again, Sasuke hugged him tight and rested his head against his chest, trying to make him forget him. The more Naruto spoke of his teammate, the more Sasuke felt disturbed and threatened. He couldn't explain it, but he felt that his father and his teammate had very a strong and special bond. Even though the rival appeared to be a real bastard, Naruto still liked him a lot.

Why was that guy so special to him? What did he have that Sasuke didn't?

_"If you had to choose, who wo__uld you pick, Daddy? Me or him?" _Sasuke thought, falling asleep to the sound of Naruto's heartbeats. _"Who do you love more?"_

During that same night, while most of the islanders slept quietly, six children mysteriously disappeared from their beds in the fishermen's district.

* * *

**Huff… I'm tired… I haven't written such a long chapter for a while. I hope you liked it.**

**Oh! By the way, I posted a new story called "After the End". It's a **_**"going to the future"**_** time-travel story where Naruto and Sasuke travel fifteen years into the future after clashing in the Valley of the End. That is _not_ the time-travel spin-off that you voted for, in that one Uzumaki Sasuke travels to the past.**

**Now… is "After the End" connected to ****"Phoenix Rising"? Maybe… ^_^**

**Thanks for reading!**


	46. Sword

**Hey, there! The chapter is small, but I hope you like it nonetheless ^_^**

* * *

**Sword**

刀 _(__Katana)_

During the night, they brought more children. It was very easy, as their master had told them it would be. The kids only had to look at them and easily fell into the genjutsu. When they awoke, they were already tied up neatly in front of the crystal that imprisoned and protected the master's sword.

When they regained consciousness, the children were frightened. The youngest cried and asked for their parents while the older ones tried in vain to free themselves and demanded to know who those men and women were and what they wanted.

According to their master's orders, they had to bring all children between five and fourteen years of age for judgment. So far, the master hadn't yet found what he sought.

For decades, he had been trapped in his sword, hidden from his enemies. His body had turned to dust long ago and everyone thought he was gone forever.

They were wrong. The body is something ephemeral that grows old, gets sick and always ends up perishing. But the soul... the soul is eternal and indestructible. Nobody knew, but he had been able to protect his soul from going to the afterlife, holding it to his sword. After all, a samurai's sword is his soul.

He knew that his followers would have died long ago or had abandoned him once he was defeated by Sanada Yukimura, his son Nobushige and the busybodies' ninjas of Konohagakure. But he had planned everything carefully and thought of a plan in case he was killed when he tried to take over the islands.

He had new followers now. Young men and women that he rewarded with his power, turning them from the pathetic creatures that they once were into real warriors, too intoxicated with their new bodies, intelligence and power to dare to turn against him in fear of losing it all.

After all, who wants to go back to being weak once you taste a bit of power?

Despite not having eyes, his spirit looked at the new group of children that their new subordinates had brought him. They were against the wall of the room he had built before he died. In a place where no adult would look: the caves in the Children's Island.

For now, he didn't need adults. They would serve a different purpose.

Slight frustrated, he realized that none of these children would do. Until now, his followers had brought only him children from the fishermen's district, the merchants' children and orphans who lived on the streets. None of them would do. They had to bring him the children of the samurai.

His crystal began to glow and the children in front of him stopped moaning, feeling his power go through their bodies. Within minutes, he had another group of followers.

* * *

The following weeks went by quickly. Both Naruto and Sasuke were very busy with their respective lessons.

The little raven was more studious than ever, nearly equaling Riku in almost all classes but always keeping his reputation as _"second best"_. When Iruka came to personally test Sasuke in Unmei, the sensei realized that he was even stronger than during his first life at the Academy.

The boy took the written tests at home and then went with Iruka to the forest behind the lake to test his Taijutsu, Ninjutsu (Sasuke had to Henge into Tsunade, much to his horror), shuriken and kunai throwing and even dispelling a simple genjutsu. Iruka was very impressed to say the least.

Sasuke had not only kept his intelligence and natural talent, but he also inherited Naruto's incredible stamina, which meant wasn't even tired after hours of study and training. When Iruka handed him the report card, the raven smiled with joy and ran to his father in childlike glee to show him that he scored one hundred percent in all subjects taught at the Academy in Konoha.

"Tou-chan! Look! Look! I did it! I scored 100%! I did it! Just like I promised!"

Naruto took his child in his arms and embraced him before lifting him up in the air.

"That's my boy! I knew you could do it! I'm so proud of you" the blond father exclaimed, grinning with pride. "Did you see, Iruka-sensei? Isn't my son amazing? Just you wait and see! He's gonna turn into a badass ninja!"

"_You __two really are parent and child"_ the sensei thought as he smiled at them.

Sasuke grinned before his father's praise, full of happiness. He never had told him that, but all his efforts over the past weeks had been motivated by his desire to become so strong that Naruto would completely forget about his rival.

"Ne! Tou-chan? Iruka-sensei told me to Henge into Tsunade Baa-chan" the six year old child whined, looking disgusted. "That was _so_ weird and gross! He made turn into her and talk with her voice."

"He did, huh?" Naruto smirked at his former sensei.

"That's… that's just regular procedure!" Iruka said, blushing slightly. "Every student in the Academy transforms into the current Hokage. Naruto did the same thing with the Sandaime, though his transformation was really awful."

Naruto pouted and put Sasuke back in the ground.

"Sensei, you shouldn't say that about my Henge" the blond ninja said. "After all, you always fell for it!"

"Eh? What are you talking about?"

Naruto smirked evilly.

"Killer Attack!" Naruto made the hand seal. "Sexy Jutsu!"

After an explosion, Naruto turned into an attractive nude woman in a very seductive posture, leaving Iruka white as sheet and Sasuke completely appalled.

"Come on, Sensei…" she said with a seductive voice and pouting. "Don't be a meanie… my Henge was not that bad, right? Please don't hurt my feelings…"

Iruka started bleeding from his nose like crazy and fainted. Content, Naruto dispelled the jutsu.

"Ah! I knew it" Naruto grinned. "You're still so easy to trick, sensei!"

"TOU-CHAN! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Sasuke yelled, put out.

"Eh… that was my Sexy Jutsu…" the blond said, rubbing his neck. "It's very useful against weak men. They fall like stones every time."

"Don't do that again! It's embarrassing!"

"It's useful" Naruto answered back. "That's something you will learn, son. Men can't resist a hot naked lady with big boobs… This jutsu may come in handy someday for you."

"The hell it will!" Sasuke cried red like a tomato. There was no way Sasuke would ever use that perverted jutsu.

Naruto chuckled as Sasuke blushed even more. If only the raven knew that Konohamaru used that same jutsu on girls and women by turning into a nude version of him and Sai in a suggestive embrace…

Sasuke… naked… in that position…

"_Wha…? Now await a minute!_ _That's my child is using!" _the blond thought, suddenly horrified. _"What the fuck? There's no way I'm gonna let him use my son as a __**sex symbol**__!"_

When Iruka woke up, he was approached by a fuming Naruto who told him to tell Konohamaru that if he ever used the Sexy Boy on Boy Jutsu again, he would hunt him down and kill him.

* * *

As promised, Naruto took his son to dine at one of the best restaurants on the island. When the two sat at the table, Naruto gave the menu to his child.

"Tonight you're the guest of honor," the blond said with big smile. "You can choose anything you want."

"Really?"

"Yes. Today is a special day," Naruto said. "It's not every day that my boy has 100% in a report card. Go ahead! Choose whatever you want!"

Sasuke chose various dishes from sushi to ramen. After dinner, the raven still found space in his stomach for cake and a bowl of ice cream. Apparently, Naruto thought with a certain joy, Sasuke also inherited his huge appetite.

After leaving the restaurant, Sasuke asked Naruto to go strolling by the sea. The kid seemed so full of energy and joy that the blond didn't have the heart to tell him no, so they went down the deserted streets to the beach, took off their sandals and walked on the sand, dipping their toes in the waves.

"Dad?" the boy asked, looking at the sea-line.

"Hm?"

"Do you think… when I was little for the first time… my Tou-san and Kaa-san did this with me?"

Naruto stared at Sasuke.

"I know you didn't know them" Sasuke continued, kicking the wet sand. "But I wanted to know if they were happy when I brought home my report cards…"

"I'm sure they were very proud of you, Sasuke" Naruto said, smiling softly at the little boy.

Sasuke lowered his head and stared at his bare toes.

"I don't think Tou-san liked me very much…"

Naruto blinked, surprised by raven's statement.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because… I had a few dreams about him" the boy told. "In my dreams, Tou-san is always talking about Nii-san and how amazing he is… he never talks about me. I don't know if it was real or not, but it makes me feel sad."

Naruto knelled on the ground and drew a smiling face on the sand.

"Sasuke… I can't talk much about your father because I didn't know him" Naruto said. "But I'm sure he loved you, even if he didn't say it."

"How do you know that?" Sasuke asked. "You weren't there."

"I am now" Naruto answered kindly, making Sasuke feel all warm inside his chest. "You're the best son a father could want. I don't see how your Dad couldn't have liked you."

"You really mean it?"

"Yeah… In fact I'm a bit jealous of him."

"What for?" Sasuke asked.

"Because he had you first" the blond said, stroking the child's raven hair.

Feeling happier, Sasuke smiled back.

"Don't be jealous, Tou-chan. It's okay that you're my second Dad" the raven said. "I mean… if were my Dad before, it would be weird 'cause I was older than you, right?"

Naruto didn't know how Sasuke knew that he was older, but nodded anyway.

"I guess it would be weird" the blond said.

"So it's okay" Sasuke said. "It doesn't matter that you were the second, you're still my real Dad."

Naruto seriously had to control himself or he would just cry. As he rose up, Sasuke started walking and the blond realized that even if he somehow went back to their time as teammates in Team 7, it would never be enough. Naruto would still be Sasuke's parent.

"_Once you become a father, there's nothing that can take it back"_ he thought. _"These feelings will never go away."_

Sasuke ran a little ahead of Naruto, innocently playing with the sand and kicking the water. When he was too far ahead, the boy stopped and waited for Naruto, waving to him.

"Tou-chan, hurry up! You're staying behind!"

"You have too much energy" Naruto said, reaching the impatient child.

When the blond came up to Sasuke, the boy grabbed his hand and continued walking.

"That's what Iruka-sensei said this afternoon," the raven said, grinning. "He said I was becoming just like you. At first, I thought he was scolding me but then he laughed."

Naruto burst out laughing.

"He said that, huh? It seems that my blood is really inside you," said the blond. "You know? Whenever I finished a mission, Iruka-sensei came to me and invited me to eat Ramen with him. He used to do this even when I was in the Academy and flunked on a jutsu just to cheer me up. "

"Huh? But he was your teacher! And he said you were very naughty!"

"And I was" Naruto smirked. "But Iruka-sensei likes me; it was like we were a family. When I graduated from the Academy, he let me eat all the ramen I wanted! It was the best day of my life! You know..." Naruto took off his Hitai-ate. "This was Iruka-sensei's Hitai-ate. He offered it to me when I finally managed to graduate."

"Really?" Sasuke stretched his little hands and took the forehead protector, examining it with enthusiasm. "Tou-chan? Can I put it on ? I want to see how it looks!"

Naruto shook his head.

"Sorry, but you can't" the blond wrapped Hitai-ate around his forehead again. "The forehead protector means that you are a true ninja. Only when you graduate from the Academy you're allowed to wear one."

"Oh... But that will take so long!" Sasuke complained. "I wish I were a ninja now!"

"And you'll be. You must be patient" said Naruto, sitting on a rock in the sand.

Naruto thought of the old Hitai-ate that Sasuke had left beside him when he left to go to Orochimaru. The blond kept the forehead protector in a drawer in his home over the years, taking it out from time to time and imagining giving it back to Sasuke when he returned to the village, even if it had a huge scratch in the middle. When Pain destroyed Konoha, Naruto thought he had lost it forever, but managed to find it amid the rubble of his apartment along with the picture of Team 7. It was like fate.

Right now, that same Hitai-ate was hidden in a drawer at his home in Konoha. Looking at the boy beside him, Naruto could not wait to give him that forehead protector, after replacing the fabric and fix that scratch on the metal plate of course.

Sasuke moved away from his father and took a few shells that were near the sea. When he returned, he sat down next to Naruto and they both gazed at the full moon for some time, hearing only the constant sea waves.

One of Sasuke's first memories was when he saw the ocean for the first time. Despite being very young, he remembered very well how he had been excited and happy when he ran for the beach and dipped his feet in the sea's salt water. His Dad had followed him and watched him from afar. When a large wave threw Sasuke to the ground, the boy burst out crying and ran to Naruto's safe arms.

Sasuke remembered that day particularly well because it was also the first time he saw his Daddy cry. The raven had been very frightened, Naruto was always so cheerful and joyful, but that morning, before they went to the beach, he had cried and looked like he was stuck in a trance. He looked so sad that it broke the little boy's heart. For this reason, Sasuke didn't leave his Tou-chan alone at the beach for one second and forced him to play with him so he wouldn't feel sad anymore.

When they returned home, Sasuke was almost asleep in Naruto's arms, wrapped in a beach towel. The boy did not remember what he had told him, but he knew he had hugged his father tight and only felt relieved when the blond started to laugh as usual. He never wanted to see his Dad crying again.

"You know what, Daddy?" Sasuke asked, handing Naruto the shells he had found. "Here in the islands, the samurai get a real sword when Masamune-sama lets them graduate. Only then they can be called swordsmen."

"Really? Shigeru-san told me about Masamune-sama" Naruto said. "He told me that he's called _the one-eyed dragon_."

"Yeah, but nobody calls him that unless he wants to die," the boy said, remembering when the kenjutsu teacher took his students to the swords' room, where he kept all of his swords. "He has thirty swords, but he one he uses more often it's called _Ryūkasai_. It is very long and has a dragon carved into the handle. He said he never lost a battle with that sword and when he dies, he wants to be buried with it."

"Swords are very important here" Naruto said. "They say that the sword is the soul of the samurai."

"Ninjas also use swords, right Tou-chan? We use the katana and the tantō. "

"Yeah..." Naruto looked at Sasuke. "You have a knack for the katana, isn't it? They told me that you are amazing in the classroom. "

Sasuke blushed, glad that his father had heard about his talent.

"Yes ... Masamune-sama said I'm good but... I'm not at Riku's level."

Naruto put an arm around his son.

"Don't lose heart," the blond said with a warm smile. "I'm sure one day you'll be so good with the sword that they will call you _Sasuke-sama_, or something. Maybe you'll have a really cool epitaph too!"

Sasuke smiled and imagined himself as a very powerful shinobi, wielding his sword in a battlefield. Yeah, that sounded cool!

_"I'll be strong and defeat Riku! I will become the best swordsman in the world! And then, when I become a ninja, Tou-chan will __acknowledge that I'm way better than his rival! I just got to get stronger and he will recognize me and pick me!"_

* * *

The talk about swords with Sasuke left Naruto contemplative. The boy was a great swordsman and Naruto thought he should support him more in his choice of weapon.

Sasuke's dexterity with the kunai and shuriken had also improved greatly in a few weeks, as well as his Taijutsu. And Naruto knew that the raven was practicing the Katon on the lake every day, coming home with some burns around his mouth and lips.

However, it was mainly the sword training that motivated Sasuke. Naruto knew that this was due to the growing rivalry Sasuke felt against Riku, which made the blond smile and remember the many fights and bickering he had with the raven when they were kids.

Whenever Naruto felt nostalgic and told Sasuke about some of his fights and adventures he had with his "rival" at the Academy and Team 7, the little raven became very serious and trained even harder. Naruto thought that this was due to his desire to be a ninja as soon as possible so he could also go on missions and adventures, so he wasn't worried.

In fact, there was something Naruto had in mind for some time.

That morning, instead of going to Shigeru's home and study strategies, Naruto met with the leader of the Sanada in town to help solve a serious problem. Several children had disappeared over the past weeks. At first, they thought the kids had decided to live an adventure and hide from their work in the port. It wasn't the first time it happened and there were no signs of abduction in their homes.

But with each passing day, more children disappeared without trace or reason. So the samurai had to intervene to find out what was going on. All this required that Naruto, Shigeru and other samurai had to interview the children's parents and hear their tears and entreaties. But they still had no clue of what had happened to them.

Naruto used his Sage Mode to try to find them, but couldn't. He didn't know the chakra of the missing children. Even in Kyuubi Chakra Mode, all the ninja was able to feel a slight malevolent intent on an island which they called the Children's Island, but was too weak for them to consider a real threat. Probably would just some rowdy kids, the other samurais told him.

After a day of searching, they still had no clue so Shigeru told him it would be better to return home. Shigeru would think of a better strategy and examine the maps of the islands to try to find a hiding place that maybe they were forgetting.

"Ne... Shigeru-san?" the blond asked as they walked through the streets. "Here on the island, do you know a good swordsmith?"

Shigeru raised a brown eyebrow.

"There are several competent swordsmiths here" leader of the islands said. "Thinking about buying a sword, Naruto-dono?"

"No, not for me. It's for my son."

Shigeru nodded solemnly.

"I heard that your child is a very promising swordsman, you should be proud."

"Yes, Sasuke is great," Naruto said, not hiding the huge pride he felt for his son. "But he still couldn't beat Riku... Your son is really good!"

"I appreciate the compliment to my son."

Naruto expected Shigeru to be more happy and proud of his son, but the man remained unmoved and uninterested. Over the past weeks they had spent together, Naruto noticed that Shigeru never spoke of his son. The only picture he had in office was the son who died, Hatori. It was almost as if Riku didn't exist in his life.

Naruto liked Shigeru, he thought he was a good, strong and respectable man, but he didn't like the way he ignored his own son. It wasn't right!

"I bet Riku will also get a sword soon" Naruto said, remembering the brand new sword that was inside a cabinet in Shigeru's office. "That sword you showed me the other day? Will you give it to Riku?"

Shigeru's eyes hardened.

"I had that sword forged for Hatori on the day he was born. It belongs to him alone" the samurai said calmly but coldly, trying to end the conversation. "Riku will receive a sword when the time comes."

Naruto wanted to insist, make Shigeru understand that he was rejecting the son he had in favor of the son who died, but the samurai wanted to change the subject. Naruto also could not take the risk of getting angry with Shigeru... there had to be another way to make him understand.

"If you want to forge a sword to your son, I can recommend you several swordsmiths" the samurai said.

Naruto shook his head.

"Thanks... but actually, I already have a sword for him," the ninja said.

Shigeru stared at him confused.

"If you already have a sword, why you need a swordsmith?"

"Because I was wondering if this sword can be saved" Naruto said.

* * *

"What?" Tsunade yelled, hours later, in Naruto's kitchen. "You want Sasuke's chokutō?"

Naruto nodded with a smile.

"Exactly"

Sasuke, for once, had gone to play by the lake near the garden after he arrived from school and trained with Naruto. After all, the raven was still a child and Naruto had been pleased that his son also wanted to have fun. Of course, Naruto suspected that Sasuke was still going to train the Katon in secret again because he wanted to show it to his father when he mastered it.

"Naruto... Why do you want Sasuke's Sword of Kusanagi? If you want to offer him a sword, you can give him a new one."

Naruto shook his head.

"Because that's Sasuke sword" the blond shinobi said. "That sword belongs to him. He fought a lot with it, that's why I think he should have it back when he becomes a swordsman. You didn't destroy it, right Baa-chan? "

"No..." Godaime said, crossing her arms over her large breasts. "I gave the chokutō to Kakashi and Sakura when I announced that Sasuke was dead."

Naruto blinked.

"Really? And what did they do with it?"

Tsunade looked out the window. Sasuke still hadn't returned from the lake. The boy had pulled a stick from a tree and had gone to play ninja, daydreaming about his future great adventures.

"They stabbed the sword into a rock near the Uchiha Compound" the blonde Hokage said. "Since there was no body, the rock became Sasuke's grave."

Naruto widened his eyes and nodded slowly.

"I see... they also needed mourning," said the blond.

"Hardly anyone goes to the grave," Tsunade said. "But the sword must be in a terrible state. I doubt that can be re-used again. It is best to forget it, Naruto. Buy another katana. "

"No... That is Sasuke's sword and I'll return it to him" Naruto insisted, unwavering. "Also, I think I found someone on this island that can save it."

"The sword is full of rust. It's nothing but a useless piece of metal now. It is impossible for anyone to turn that scrap into a sword again. That sword is dead!"

Naruto grinned.

"So we just need to bring it back to life."

* * *

Though she thought that Naruto was completely crazy, when she returned to Konoha, Tsunade went to Sasuke's grave in the middle of the night. She knew that only Kakashi came to visit the grave from time to time, remembering the student he wasn't able to save from his darkness and hatred.

Tsunade knew that sooner or later, Kakashi would find out that Sasuke's sword had been taken and probably would talk to her about it. Damn it, Naruto! What a hassle!

As she expected, the once fearsome Sword of Kusanagi was no more than a bunch of rust. Being careful not to destroy it even more, Tsunade pulled the sword from the stone and the ivy that covered it before returning to Konoha and give it the frog that Naruto had sent. When the frog disappeared with the sword in his mouth in a cloud of white smoke Tsunade sighed, hoping that Naruto knew what he was doing.

* * *

By sheer luck, the Copy Ninja had decided to visit Sasuke's makeshift grave that afternoon. When Kakashi decided to go away, he smelled Tsunade approaching.

Curious and suspicious, the gray-haired ninja hid among the trees and watched intently as the Hokage took his former student's sword of the stone which they used as grave and returned to the village.

Kakashi followed her, being careful so she wouldn't feel his presence. When Tsunade walked into her office and closed all the curtains, the shinobi frowned in frustration. It was too risky to move closer and risk being discovered spying on his own Hokage.

When Tsunade left the mansion and went back home, Kakashi realized that she didn't have the Sword of Kusanagi in her possession. What did she do with the sword? Why had she surreptitiously taken it from the grave in the middle of the night when she could just ask Kakashi or even Sakura to give it to her?

_"She didn'__t want us to know that she wanted the sword"_ Kakashi deduced. _"But why? What is the Hokage's interest in a rusty old chokutō? "_

Kakashi remembered the frogs that Naruto used to communicate with Tsunade. Had she taken the sword at Naruto's request? If so... what did Naruto want with Sasuke's sword? He was the one who delivered it six years ago!

Removing the two bells from his pocket, the old sensei recalled when he accepted training Team 7. At that time, Kakashi was the one who knew all the truths, guiding his students in hopes to turn them into great ninja, better than he ever was.

_"Naruto... Sasuke__... what kind of ninja did you become?"_

Kakashi didn't know how, but he would definitely find out what was going on.

* * *

**Well college is about to start again and I'll be busy, so I won't be able to update as regularly as I used to this summer. Though I promise I will try to find the time for it! **

**Also, I've uploaded the Time-Travel side story! I hope you like it!**

**See ya!**


	47. Ghost

**HI! I'm not dead! **

**Sorry for the long wait, but I had some serious health problems and I had to be hospitalized for a while. Then, I had to catch up with college and everything else. But it's good to finally be back in the real world (hospital life is not real world!)**

**Anyway, I hope you guys didn't give up on this story. I already posted the time travel side-story. It's called "Before the Phoenix" and I hope you like it as well.**

**Well… enjoy!**

* * *

**Ghost**

幽霊 _(Yūrei)_

As Tsunade had warned, Sasuke's chokutō was in a very poor condition. Naruto was almost sure that if he hit the sword against the wooden table, it would crumble into rusty pieces.

The blond knew that there was probably no way to fix the sword. As Tsunade said, only a miracle could transform that pile of rust into a weapon again. But Naruto had to try. He would **not** give up so easily. However, over the past two weeks, he still hadn't gotten the time to do it.

Tsunade had come to visit him three times, once as Sasuke's doctor and the other two to talk about the sword and how things were back in Konoha. As she expected, Kakashi had told her that Sasuke's sword had disappeared and the Hokage, avoiding looking at his eyes as much as possible, had told him it was likely that someone had took it. The Copy Ninja agreed and did not discuss the subject any further, but something in his attitude left Tsunade very uncomfortable.

Naruto wasn't worried about his sensei. Instead, the blond was impatient to fix the chokutō. He could hardly wait to see his son's face when he offered him the sword. He was going be so happy!

"Tou-chan?" a very sleepy voice called, coming from top of the stairs. "Are you downstairs?"

Naruto stood with a hop, looked to all sides and hid the sword inside the pantry. A second later, Sasuke entered the kitchen, his hair messy and still in his pajamas, scratching his left eye.

"Ah... Good morning, Sasuke!" greeted Naruto, trying to look as normal as possible.

"Good morning" the boy replied, sitting on a chair and staring at his father with a pout. "You didn't come to wake me up today."

"Ah... sorry, son. I woke up early, so I came to the kitchen and lost track of time" the blond shinobi replied, walking to the refrigerator. "I'll make your breakfast in a sec, okay?"

Sasuke stared at Naruto in silence while the latter took the milk from the fridge, the cups and dishes from the closet. The raven knew his Dad was acting strange. Lately, Naruto spent a lot of time away from home because of the missing children and he only returned at night to dinner. But, even when he was at home, Daddy looked distracted and almost didn't talk with Sasuke like they used to.

Things were different, and it wasn't a good different.

When Tsunade had come to visit, Naruto seemed eager to send Sasuke to bed so he could have a _"grown-up talk"_ with the Hokage. The little raven obeyed, but couldn't resist his curiosity and went downstairs to listen to them on the sly. However, he didn't dare to approach the kitchen door. He was not going to underestimate the skills of two elite ninjas who would know they were being spied upon, so he stood leaning against the runner or sitting on the wooden stairs, trying to hear some of the words stifled by the sound of the closed door.

Unfortunately, he was unable to hear what they were talking about, just a few sentences, but the boy knew what they were talking about Konoha and he heard his father asking questions about "sensei". Without doubt he was referring to his old Jōnin guide that was still in the village with the rest of the team.

By the way he spoke, he didn't have to be a genius to realize that Naruto truly missed them.

"Here's your breakfast" the blond said, placing a cup of hot milk in front of the child.

"Thank you" the boy replied, noticing that Naruto hadn't made anything for himself. "You're not gonna eat, Tou-chan?"

"I already ate my breakfast when I woke earlier."

"Oh…" the raven answered, lowering his dark eyes and continuing to drink his hot milk.

"Yesterday you had shuriken practice, didn't you?"

"Ah? Yes" Sasuke's face lit up with a sudden joy, excited to talk with his father about his feats. "We had to throw thirty shuriken against the targets that were in the trees' branches of the training camp."

"It sounds tricky," Naruto said.

"Not really! I got twenty-five targets!" exclaimed the raven. Unfortunately, Riku had got twenty-eight, but he wouldn't tell that part of the story.

"Twenty-five? That is really good! Well done" said Naruto, stroking his hair.

Sasuke blushed and smiled. **That** was what he wanted, that Papa was impressed with him and proud.

"It was easy, Daddy" the boy said, unable to stop smiling. "It was like you said; I just had to focus on the targets."

Naruto laughed softly, grabbed on milk package and put it inside the fridge.

"You're luckier than I was. Concentration was never my forte. It took me years to get concentrated during training" Naruto said. "When I was a kid, I got distracted with everything. I just wanted to go play rather than train for hours or study some boring scroll. Later, when I was already a Genin, our sensei wanted to teach us to climb on trees using chakra in our feet. I only managed to go up one meter before slipping and falling to the ground" as he recalled that training, Naruto burst out laughing. "I was still moaning from the pain when my teammate said that it was easier than she expected. We were all mouth open when we saw her on top of one of the highest branches of the tree. Of all of us, it was her that could better control her chakra."

"We still haven't learned how to climb trees using chakra" Sasuke explained, interested in this useful ability. "How do you do it?"

Naruto's smile got even wider.

* * *

_Naruto remembered what Sakura had said._

_It was night; he was cold, dirty, scratched and filled with bumps in his head for having fallen so many times from that stupid, stupid tree. The only thing that made him feel better was knowing that Sasuke (despite already having gotten higher than him, goddamnit!) also seemed to be having trouble reaching the top of the tree._

_It was time to follow Sakura's advice and seriously concentrate._

_"Focus… Focus…" the ninja blond thought, feeling his chakra move under his feet. "Ok, this is going well. Ok, I can do this! "_

_Feeling confident, Naruto jumped forward._

_"Hey! Naruto!"_

_With bulging eyes, the blond tripped and fell flat on the floor._

_"Damn you!" Naruto growled, lifting his scratched and dirty face from the floor and glaring Sasuke with his angry blue eyes. "Don't bother me when I'm concentrating!"_

_"Hmm... Well…" the raven boy mumbled._

_Unlike to what was usual, Uchiha Sasuke did not growled nor stared at him with conceit. Strangely, the raven seemed nervous and uncomfortable._

_"What?" Naruto asked, sitting on the floor and staring his rival with an angry and intrigued face. _"It's rare for this guy come talk to me."

_Sasuke diverted his gaze for one second, before forcing himself to stare at Naruto again._

_"You… asked Sakura for tips before, right?" the Uchiha stammered, _actually _blushing and diverting his eyes again with a pout. "What did… she tell you?"_

_Naruto eyes widened with astonishment. Sasuke, the magnificent and brilliant Uchiha Sasuke, the guy who never needs anyone, Mr. Perfect, was asking **him** for help?_

_The amazement in Naruto's face was gradually replaced by a huge smile of satisfaction._

_"I won't tell you" the blond said, feeling maliciously happy._

_"What…!" exclaimed Sasuke, with such an outraged expression on his face that looked like he had swallowed a lemon._

* * *

"It has everything to do with concentration and keeping the chakra flow under your feet steady" Naruto explained. Unlike at that time, now he didn't care to finally share Sakura's tips with Sasuke. Better late than never. "If you use too much chakra, you'll be propelled from the wall or tree. If you don't use enough chakra, you'll slide and fall to the ground. You must find the right amount and keep it always constant. "

Sasuke agreed, assimilating all information.

"Did you take a lot of time to learn how to climb on trees? It is very difficult?"

"Well… it depends " Naruto explained. "For those who have a knack to control their chakra is very easy, like it was for my teammate who managed to do it right the first time. It took me two whole days to learn it" Naruto smiled with satisfaction and nostalgia. "That bastard too."

The smile on Sasuke's face withered immediately. Once again, Naruto was speaking about his rival. Lately, whenever they spoke, his father always ended up talking about him, like he couldn't think about anything else.

"Now that I think about it, I might have taken the double or triple the time to climb to the top of the tree if he weren't there," Naruto said, lost in happy memories. "Because he was also in trouble and because none of us wanted to lose against each other, we strive to the utmost. In the end, we reached the top of the tree at the same time. We had to return home leaning on each other because we were both so exhausted. "

Sasuke felt his heart ache. He knew, by looking at his longing smile, that Naruto wanted to be with his friend/rival again, having adventures and missions like they used to, instead of being there at home with him.

Papa didn't forget his rival. I didn't want to forget him and was always thinking of him. It just wasn't fair!

"Can you teach me?" asked the boy. "Later, after school, can you train with me?"

Naruto became thoughtful. He had plans after work.

"Today will be tricky. I'll try to arrive early at home, okay? Or maybe we could train tomorrow instead" the blond shinobi said.

Sasuke lowered his eyes.

Still thinking about the sword and the amount of work he still had to do, Naruto didn't notice Sasuke's disappointment. Moving quickly, the ninja picked his jacket and prepared to leave the house.

"Well… I have to go to work. Shigeru-san must be waiting for me already" Naruto said, as he put on his sandals.

"You're going? So soon?"

"I have to go. More and more children are disappearing in the fishermen and merchants' district and we still didn't find any clues," Naruto explained, looking at Sasuke with a serious gaze. "That's why I don't want you to be home late and no training after the sun has set. Don't talk to strangers too, no matter how very friendly they look. "

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I already know that! You've said it a million times, Tou-chan. I'm not stupid!"

"I know, but you can't be too careful" Naruto said, remembering the families' agony that he had seen. Just thinking that the same could happen to Sasuke, made his stomach twitch.

However, the small raven didn't take his father's words of as loving concern. He was a student at the Academy, a future ninja and one of the best students of the school but, despite everything, his Dad continued to underestimate him and treat him like a dumb and weak kid who couldn't defend himself.

Sasuke dropped the spoon inside the empty cup "You don't trust me…"

"Huh? Sasuke, this has nothing to do with trust. I just want you to be safe" the blond looked quickly at the clock on the wall. "I have to go! See you later, okay?"

Sasuke stood up and followed Naruto to the lobby.

"When will you come home?" asked the boy.

"Ah… I don't really know…" Naruto replied, thinking about the sword. "I'll go home as soon as possible, okay? Be good!" With a jump, Naruto disappeared amid the neighbors' rooftops in less than a second.

With a sigh, Sasuke closed the door and slowly climbed the stairs to get dressed and go to school.

Things were definitely different. Naruto had already been busy before, but this time it seemed that he was always distracted with something. When Sasuke tried to find out why, the blond said he was just tired and worried about the missing children.

Though he couldn't explain it, the raven knew there was something more. He and his father had always been very close, with a father and son relationship a little different from the other people but still very special. In addition to being family, they were also friends.

For Sasuke, Naruto had always been his best friend and the person who knew him better than anyone. They had always been a unit, a team, and the boy couldn't imagine his Daddy with anyone else. Until he found out how important his team-mates were for him.

He knew, he **felt**, they were very special to Naruto and the bonds that united them were stronger than friendship or companionship. Sasuke was never bothered with his father's friends before and he even liked them, but the mere allusion to his former team made the raven feel sad, lonely and threatened.

Sasuke felt they were stealing Naruto from him.

The boy knew he was being childish and selfish for wanting that his Papa would love him more than his friends who were in Konoha, but it was stronger than him. Especially when Naruto spoke of his rival.

Each time this happened, Sasuke felt something separate him from his father. When Naruto spoke of his rival and was lost in his memories of him, his presence was almost palpable, as a ghost. Whenever the blond ninja spoke of the rival and the adventures they had had together, with a smile on his face, the raven boy felt invisible and left out. It was like if Naruto had forgotten all about him because he couldn't stop thinking about his precious rival.

In those moments, Sasuke felt **he** was the ghost and the rival was the one who was real.

_"Papa just wants to do stuff with his rival…"_ the child thought. _"He wanted him to be here instead of me."_

Sasuke didn't know what to do and lacked the courage to ask his dad how he really felt. He was afraid to find out that he was the second choice, because Naruto could not be with the one he really wanted.

* * *

Although it had been over several weeks, Riku still hadn't met the famous Uzumaki Naruto.

Of course, his grandmother had told him that Naruto had come to their house and that they had talked and ate cakes together before Shigeru took him to his office, but Riku doubted the description she made the about the war hero.

According to Kiyomi, Naruto-chan was very young, practically a kid, very funny, honest, cheery and affable. Riku had frowned when his grandmother told him that. The boy had known dozens of important warriors and diplomats, although he only had greeted them by a matter of good manners before his father told him to leave. All of them were serious and boring; many of them were quite arrogant about their power and bragged about it constantly.

Riku didn't expect Naruto to be any different.

With Sasuke, he had been slightly impressed. The raven was better than he had imagined and he it took almost a minute to defeat him in his first fight with the katana, breaking his record of thirty seconds per fight. Sasuke was smart, talented, and with a lot of potential. If Riku was careless or underestimated him, he could even lose.

After the first day of classes, Riku noticed that Sasuke had improved, doing everything to defeat him. It was interesting and it was good to have someone who was actually a challenge from time to time. Sasuke's presence made Riku train even harder than before.

As always, the silver-haired boy left school, ignoring the other children's requests to go play with them. Despite his indifferent attitude, the other students seemed to look up to him. Riku always wondered if they would like him as much if he wasn't the son of the Islands' leader.

Had Hatori ever felt like that?

_"Probably not"_ thought the boy, feeling grumpy as always when he thought about the lovable and precious Hatori. _"Everybody worshipped Hatori. He was perfect."_

Riku couldn't think of Hatori as an older brother. He did it when I was younger and it had been a big mistake.

When he was about four years old, Riku had disobeyed his grandmother and fled to the West Wing of their mansion, where his father's office and his bedroom were. At that time, the boy just wanted to peek into Shigeru's Office because he had heard that it was filled of swords and other treasures.

In his innocence, he believed that if he were real good with the swords, his father would spend more time with him rather than be always working.

His grandmother had told that his father was a very important man and that was why he couldn't play with Riku like the other children's parents. The boy felt sad but also proud to be the son of such an important person. His father was very special!

When he got to the office, he couldn't open the locked door. Disappointed, but curious, Riku decided to explore the other rooms. After all, that was also his house, wasn't it? Why wouldn't he see the other rooms too?

Still laughing, Riku opened several doors and peeked inside. Most of the rooms had only boring books and documents, so the boy's excitement began to vanish. He was about to give up when he opened one of the last doors of the corridor.

It was a kid's room! A boy's bedroom with toys everywhere: on the shelves, within boxes on the floor, on top of the bed… It was better than a toy store!

Excited, Riku entered the room and climbed onto the bed, grabbing a huge Teddy bear that was almost as tall as he. Why anyone didn't tell him that there was a cool room there at home?

The answer came in the form of a family photo in the bedside table. Riku recognized immediately his father, despite he was laughing (he had never seen his Dad smile before!). Alongside Shigeru was a beautiful woman of brown hair and, in their midst, a boy a little older than Riku who looked a lot like his father.

_"Hatori"_ the boy thought. So that was his Nii-san? The brother who had died? Was this his bedroom?

Riku looked around again to the toys. Hatori's toys. It would have been fun if his brother was alive and the two could play together. But Hatori had gone to heaven together with his mommy, so he couldn't play with his toys anymore.

Riku supposed that his Nii-san wouldn't mind if he played with them now. There was no harm, so he grabbed a box and started to play with the action figures that had belonged to his big brother.

Sometime later, or maybe hours because he was having so much fun, Riku heard the door open behind him.

Shigeru was looking right at him, his brown eyes bulging in awe before the littered toys.

"Hi, Tou-san! Look what I found!" the boy exclaimed with a smile.

Shigeru's expression changed from astonishment to indignation and fury.

"What do you think you're doing?" with a quick and blunt movement, the man grabbed Riku by his sweater and pulled him from the bedroom. "How dare to come here and touch his things?"

Shigeru dropped Riku in the hallway and the boy fell to the floor, feeling his eyes filled with tears and fear before his father's the fury.

"I… I just wanna play…" the child sobbed, while Shigeru placed all toys in the exact places where they had been before. "Sorry, Tou-san… I just wanted to play with Nii-san's toys…"

Shigeru became tense; as if it were the first time he had related Riku to Hatori as brothers. And this thought appalled him because it threatened all memories he had of his son and wife.

"Get out of here" the man said, trying and failing to control his voice. His son's shrine, the bedroom which he had kept untouched since Hatori had died on that same bed, had been tainted by that… intruder. "Never come to this room again, you hear! Never again!"

Riku burst out crying and sobbing, shrinking against the wall.

"I'm sorry..."

"This room… these are Hatori's toys. They're not yours!"

"Sorry..."

"Don't you ever touch **my son's** things again!"

My son. Not "your brother", but "his son". Because Riku was not his son as well.

It was then that Riku finally realized the truth that his grandmother had tried to protect him from for so many years. His father had never loved him. He didn't even think of Riku as his child. Hatori would always be his true son and heir.

Over the years, as Riku found out more details about his birth and how his father had treated his mother and broken her heart, his hatred against Shigeru and Hatori increased.

Riku could never be equal to Hatori in his father's eyes, not even a replacement. He had been a mistake, a baby that Shigeru had never wanted. Parents were supposed to be happy when their child is born. Shigeru had been horrified.

Every time Riku won a prize at school, celebrated a birthday or was told that would he'd be a great leader, the look on Shigeru face was crystal clear. He wanted Hatori to be the one living it all.

Hatori, the true heir and not Riku, the child who should never have been born.

With a precise movement, Riku hit on target that he placed atop one of the trees along the river. Today he didn't feel like training in the family dojo. Shigeru would be working at home now and, whenever this happened, the silver-haired boy tried to keep as far away from him as possible. The two of them, besides sharing some blood, were nothing to each other, much less a father and son.

Riku wasn't Shigeru's son, he was Rei's son. Hatori would always be Shigeru's son. Riku didn't need to be home and remember this whenever the Sanada leader stared at him, wishing that Hatori was there in his place.

Let Shigeru cry for his dead firstborn forever! If that's what he wanted, he deserved to be miserable until the day he died!

"Like I care!" the boy said, throwing a kunai against the tree. "I don't give a damn!"

One of the kunai failed the tree and flew towards the road, at the very moment a blond man was walking by.

"What the hell?" the man shouted, jumping and avoiding the sharp knife from piercing him.

"Damn it! I'm sorry!" Riku yelled, staring at the dumbfounded man on the road.

The blond man looked back at Riku, blinked and fetched the lost kunai. To the boy's surprise, the man went down the road and handed him the knife with a strangely relaxed smile for someone who almost got stabbed.

"Here you go" said the man, landing the kunai in the boy's pale hands.

"Ah... Thank you, Nii-san" Riku replied, confused.

The blond looked at the targets on top of the trees and to the marks Riku's wooden sword had left on the trunks.

"So...? Were you training?" the man asked. Riku nodded. "You're Riku, right? Shigeru-san's son?"

Riku nodded again. Despite never having seen that man before, it was not uncommon that people knew him through Shigeru. The blond had a relaxed and curious expression on his face and the boy could have sworn that he was not one of the islets. He could only be a tourist who had been visiting the warriors' district.

He also seemed a little lost.

"You're very good" the man praised, looking at the targets.

"Thank you" the boy answered. "Are you looking for something, Nii-san?"

The man blinked.

"Eh? It is that obvious? "

"You seem lost."

"Right…" the man crossed his arms behind his head and smiled with embarrassment. "I don't know these streets and I'm looking for someone."

"I know this island like the back of my hand. I also know most of the families. Want help to find this person?" Riku place the kunai in his pocket. The man was friendly and seemed harmless. In addition, it was the obligation of all islanders help a visitor in trouble.

"Will you help me? That's great! Thanks!" the blond replied with a huge smile, almost childish.

"No problem" Riku replied, climbing the road with the blond man beside him. "Are you looking for whom?"

"Ah... His name is Muramasa" he said. "He's a famous swordsmith, I think…"

Riku stopped and looked more closely to the blond stranger. Only then did he notice that the man had a package in his right hand with the format of a sword. What kind of tourist was he? Nobody outside of the Islands knew Muramasa-sama and no samurai would reveal his name so easily to a stranger.

"Why do you want to find him?" asked Riku, suspicious but also curious.

"I wonder if he can repair this sword" he pointed to the package in his hand. "Is in very poor condition, but I was told that he was the best."

Riku frowned. Was that man a warrior? _Seriously?_

"Muramasa-sama is the finest swordsmith in the world, but he stopped forging swords years ago. He says he can feel the swords' spirit so people think he's a little crazy" Riku explained.

"Swords' spirit? And you believe him?" asked the blond, surprising Riku because she was talking to him as if they were both adults and wanted to hear Riku's opinion. The man was not adulating him or pretending to be interested with what he said, and that made him happy.

"I think he is a very wise man" the boy replied, happy. "I don't know if the swords have a spirit or not, but if someone is able to know that is Muramasa-sama. Nobody knows swords better than him."

"Really? He looks like an interesting person" the blond man commented.

"Right. But he hasn't been working for a long time" the boy said, going up a trail towards a secluded house in the middle of the mountain, with the blond man in tow. "I don't know if he'll want to fix your sword Nii-san."

"Then I'll just have to convince him. By the way, this sword is not for me" the blond looked to Riku with a mischievous smile. "Please… don't tell anything to Sasuke."

Riku blinked and stopped, completely confused.

"Sasuke? You know him?"

"I'm his Dad," said the blond, oblivious to Riku's fallen jaw. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Riku. Sasuke talks a lot about you. "

* * *

Muramasa's house of was small but neat. The man should have made fortunes forging swords, but he hadn't spent the money on luxuries, preferring to live quietly at the top of the mountain.

Naruto hit the wooden door twice but didn't hear any response. Beside him, Riku peeked through one of the windows.

"I think he is not at home," the boy said.

"Oh crap!" Naruto mumbled, crossing his arms around his chest with a pout.

Riku approached Naruto. He still couldn't believe that **a)** this was the famous Uzumaki Naruto and **b)** he was Sasuke's father. Riku wasn't surprised that they were so different physically, after all, Riku didn't not resembled Shigeru at all. The boy was perplexed because they had completely opposite personalities, like day and night.

Naruto stared at the sun set. It was late and Sasuke should be waiting for him, but even if he were home now, they wouldn't be able to train together, it was too late. If only he had left Shigeru's home sooner…

"Well… I didn't expect to have guests at this late hour" a calm voice said, coming from the woods.

Riku smiled and walked away from the window with a hop.

"Muramasa-sama!" exclaimed the boy.

Naruto was surprised to say the least. From what he had heard from Shigeru and Riku, he had imagined Muramasa as an elderly and hunched man, with a long white beard and a face full of wrinkles. Instead, the man who approached them was young and good looking, with long light blond hair and a wise but kind look in his green eyes.

"It's good to see you, Riku. You've grown" said Muramasa, landing a hand on the boy's shoulders before looking at Naruto. "I didn't expect a visit from the hero of the Fourth Ninja War. It is a great pleasure to finally meet you, Naruto."

"Ah? You… know who I am?" the shinobi asked, visibly surprised.

"I may live on a mountain but like to keep informed" Muramasa's gaze fell in the wrapping that Naruto was carrying. "I believe you wish to talk. Let's go inside. "

Muramasa opened the door and went into his house, followed by Naruto. Riku looked to the sunset and pondered whether he should go home, but chose to stay and listen to Naruto and Muramasa, which was much better than having dinner while avoiding looking at Shigeru.

After they all sat around a small wooden table in the living room, Naruto looked at Muramasa carefully.

"Muramasa-sama, I know that you don't work with swords anymore" said Naruto, landing Sasuke's chokutō, still wrapped, on the table. "But I had to come here and ask you if you could help me fix this one."

Through several seconds, no one spoke. Muramasa only stared at the wrapping with an inscrutable expression, as if he saw something that others were not able to see.

"This sword is not yours" the swordsmith said finally, surprising Naruto. "This sword belongs to somebody else, right?"

Naruto nodded, confused and bewildered by the mysterious swordsmith. Riku, on the other hand, didn't expected any less from the great Master Muramasa.

"Can I open it?" asked Muramasa.

"Oh… Yes... sure. "

Muramasa was not surprised at the poor state of the sword of Kusanagi. Instead, he picked up the chokutō carefully and examined it for minutes, in complete silence.

"This sword has seen a lot of blood, tears and despair," the swordsmith said, gazing on the rusty blade. "It is a strong sword… it held the power of many jutsus. It was a sword designed to kill enemies and met much hatred" Muramasa's eyes crossed with those of Naruto.

"Can you restore it?" the young ninja asked.

"You don't want it for yourself" Muramasa said, without taking his green eyes of Naruto's face.

"No, I don't. I want offer this chokutō to my son."

Riku looked surprised. Why would anyone want to offer that old sword?

"This sword created a lot of pain. His owner too" continued Muramasa. "The one who used this sword was consumed by hatred, thirst for blood and revenge. This sword has a very dark past. "

Naruto nodded slowly, feeling that Muramasa knew more than he was telling.

"I know the damage that this sword caused" Naruto said. "I know that there is no forgiveness for the things that the owner of this sword did."

"Then wouldn't it be better to destroy it? A sword that caused so much pain and sorrow…"

Naruto shook his head.

"Destroy it won't erase all crimes that happened" the blond said. His serious blue eyes fixed on Muramasa's face. "It won't change anything. But if there is still a chance, this sword can be used for good purposes. It can still be saved. Even if the crimes cannot be forgiven, although it cannot change the past, we can only move on and try to create a better future."

Riku didn't understand the conversation between the two adults, who seemed way too serious to be talking about an old rusty sword.

Finally, Muramasa blinked and smiled. With delicate movements, he wrapped up the chokutō and stood up from the table.

"I will give my best to restore it," the swordsmith said.

"Really? Thank you! Thank so much!" Naruto exclaimed, with a huge smile. "And you, Riku, not a word to Sasuke. I want it to be a surprise!"

"Ah... okay," replied the boy, a little awkward with Naruto's cheerfulness.

After Naruto and Riku were gone, Muramasa brought the chokutō to his old workshop. He had forged millions of swords in this same location for ninety years. Some of his swords still existed despite its owners had already died many decades ago, saved and protected from the elements, as if they had been frozen in time.

Unconsciously, Muramasa touched the small violet crystal which he had been wearing in a necklace around his neck for 75 years and asked himself, once again, how much time he had left.

* * *

Sasuke was angry when Naruto got home late and couldn't train together. The raven knew his father probably couldn't make on time, still he had waited outside, hoping he had been wrong.

"You're never home now" the child complained, pouting. "You are always working."

The blond felt bad about having disappointed his son and tried to make it up to him by cooking dinner together and asking the raven what he had learned in school and how his training was going.

Sasuke spoke excitedly during the dinner, but Naruto couldn't help but think about mysterious conversation he had with Muramasa.

What the swordsmith had said about the sword of Kusanagi, about Sasuke, was amazingly accurate. It was as if he knew what had happened and that Naruto had intended to return the chokutō to its original owner. Naruto had the impression that they were no longer talking about the sword but the impossibility of Sasuke to live with everything he had done and that the best would be to kill him along with the sword.

But that was wrong. Killing Sasuke and eliminating all traces of his existence was not going to change what had happened. Those who had died would still be dead.

Sasuke would have to live with what he had done, even if no one would ever forgive his sins. He was not a lost cause. He was no monster. Naruto knew he was a good person. He always had known it even when they were Genin. Even at the end, when everything seemed hopeless.

"Tou-chan? Tou-chan!_ Tou-chan!_"

Naruto blinked and looked toward the child in front of him.

"Huh? What was it?"

"You weren't even listening" Sasuke said.

"Oh! Sorry, Sasuke. Was thinking about something else" the blond apologized. "Can you say it again?"

Sasuke landed the bowl on the table.

"Were you thinking about him again?" asked the boy. "Your rival?"

"Ah? Well… actually was. "

Sasuke's lower lip started to tremble. Of course… whatever he had to say didn't come close to the memories of that guy. **He** was the one who mattered.

"If you miss him so much, why didn't you just ask Tsunade Baa-chan to bring him here?" asked the raven, wanting to see closely the "enemy" who he had to deal with.

Naruto smiled sadly "That's not possible."

"Huh? Why not? "

"He... He is not in the village" replied Naruto. "He left Konoha a long time ago."

The pain in Naruto's words was so strong that even Sasuke was able to feel it. Naruto didn't want his rival to go and he still missed him, because he still loved him very much. Perhaps more than anything.

_"More than me"_ the raven thought, feeling his eyes burning and his throat tight.

"Sasuke? You don't want to eat more?" Naruto asked.

"I'm not hungry. I'm very tired, so I gonna sleep now. "

"Ah? But it's early. Are you sick? Would you want me to go get the thermometer?"

"No... I'm just tired. 'Night!"

Jumping from his chair, Sasuke left the kitchen and ran up the stairs. When he arrived at his room, he was already crying filled with sadness and jealousy.

"Damn you, usuratonkachi!" Sasuke said between his tears. "You don't get me at all!"

* * *

_Sasuke and Naruto were walking down a road. Everything was quiet except for the sound of the birds and leaves on the threes._

_Suddenly, Sasuke heard something and turned around. A few meters behind, there was someone walking towards them._

_A man with dark hair or maybe a boy._

_"Tou-chan! There's someone following us" Sasuke said, but Naruto kept walking._

_The man started to walk faster and Sasuke realized that he could see right through him. He was a ghost!_

_"Tou-chan! There's a ghost following us!" Sasuke said, but the blond didn't seem to have heard him._

_The ghost was getting closer and closer. He was going to catch them._

_"Daddy, we have to run!" Sasuke screamed but Naruto still ignored him. "Daddy!"_

_Sasuke tried to grab his father's hand. To his dismay, his hand passed right through Naruto._

_"What…?" Sasuke looked at his hands. They were transparent. No… not only his hands, his whole body was see-through._

_Sasuke was the one who was a ghost._

_"Hey! Naruto!"_

_The blond ninja turned around and smiled at the man._

_"Hey there, teme!" Naruto answered. "What are you doing here?"_

_"Teme? But that's what you usually call **me**…" the boy said, being completely ignored. "Why are you calling him that?"_

_"I came looking for you, usuratonkachi" the mysterious man said, rolling his eyes. _

_"That's what **I** call Tou-chan! I'm the only one who does it! What are you doing to me?" Sasuke yelled at the man and tried to punch him, but he couldn't touch him either._

_Besides, his body was fading even faster. He was disappearing._

_"Naruto, I came to take you home. We have missions to do" the man said._

_"Alright! Finally some missions!" Naruto answered cheerfully. "Let's go!"_

_"NO! Daddy you can't go!" Sasuke screamed, trying to grab Naruto in vain. "Why can't you hear me? I'm right here! Please don't let me disappear!"_

_Ignoring the raven haired child, Naruto started to walk away. When Sasuke tried to follow him, the dark haired man blocked his path and stared right at him with a grin._

_"You can't go with him anymore" the man said. "I'm the one who's real. You're just a ghost who needs to fade back into darkness."_

_"NO! I'M NOT A GHOST" Sasuke cried. "I'M REAL! I'M REAL!"_

_"Hmph! Pathetic" the dark haired man said, before following Naruto._

_Sasuke tried to run towards them but he found out he couldn't move. His legs vanished into thin air, followed by the rest of his body. Not long, Sasuke completely faded away._

* * *

Sasuke woke up trembling and panting. With his hands, he touched his face, his chest, his legs, making absolutely sure he was still there. That he wasn't a ghost.

He must have made some sort of noise, because he could hear his father opening his bedroom door and walking down the hall towards his room.

Sasuke pulled the sheets over his head and pretended to be asleep when Naruto open his bedroom door and walked inside.

The raven haired boy closed his eyes and remained motionless while his father touched his cold forehead. After that, the blond left the room only to come back minutes later with a warmer blanket, which he placed on top of Sasuke before laying next to him.

Sasuke didn't know if his Dad knew he was awake. He probably knew, but went along with it. So when the boy moved and reached out for him, Naruto stretched his arms and simply hugged him, pulling his head into his chest, without a word.

When the older ninja finally fell asleep, Sasuke felt like crying again.

_"Why Daddy? Why do you keep thinking about him? Why can't I be enough?"_ the child thought, grabbing Naruto's shirt, as if trying to secure his place in his father's heart. _"Please, don't let him take my place. Please… I don't want to disappear."_

* * *

**This chapter shed some light on Riku's back story, because that's gonna be important in future chapters. **

**And here's the scary dreams again! I can't help it.**

**The next chapter is going to have more action. **

**See you guys later and don't forget to review!**


	48. The Invasion Begins

**Hey, Kai-chan here! (Always wanted to say that ^_^)**

**I haven't done a quick update in a while, huh? But since I'd be back to college and be busy as hell for the next few months, I thought I should just enjoy and write while I still can.**

**I hope you like it. Enjoy!**

* * *

**The Invasion Begins**

侵略の始まり _(Shinryaku no hajimari)_

Much to Naruto's dismay, Muramasa didn't fix the Sword of Kusanagi in time for Sasuke's seventh birthday.

The blond shinobi had come to the swordsmith's house so many times over the last weeks that Muramasa had to tell him that he would go to him once the sword was finished and if Naruto kept interrupting his work, he would personally kick him out of the house.

Naruto knew he was being a drag, but he couldn't help it. He was so anxious and excited to give Sasuke his sword. The first kenjutsu graduation exam was coming and, if Sasuke graduated, he would be allowed to carry his own sword. There even was a special ceremony here in the Islands for those who finally became swordsmen; after receiving a sword, the new graduate needed to go to the temple and name it.

The sword would have been the perfect birthday present for Sasuke. Now, Naruto had to wait longer and hope the chokutō would be ready in for the exam. What was worse, he didn't have a gift for his son on his birthday.

"I'm really sorry, son" Naruto said early in the morning, while they were having breakfast. "I don't have your gift with me today. It's not ready yet, so I can't give it to you."

Sasuke looked at his father for a few seconds with his serious onyx eyes, before smiling.

"It's okay, Tou-chan" he said casually and continued to drink his milk.

Naruto was genuinely surprised.

"Really? You don't mind?"

"No. Can you pass me the cookies?"

And that had been the end of the conversation. Naruto didn't expect Sasuke to be so mature about it. He loved gifts! This kind of reaction would be expected from the "old Sasuke". Maybe his little boy was just growing up.

_"He's becoming more like he was each day"_ the blond realized, thinking about Sasuke's recent grumpiness and cynical remarks.

A part of Naruto felt happy for it. It was like he was getting his best friend back from their Genin days, after waiting for so many years that Sasuke would value their bonds again. But there was something in his heart (his fatherly instincts, he suspected) that just wanted to scream at Sasuke that he was growing up way too fast. It seemed that just yesterday, Naruto had to change his diapers and buy more formula. Now, his baby was all grownup.

_"Gosh! I'm getting too sappy"_ he thought.

Sasuke's birthday went on quite well, despite everything. Naruto took the day off and Tsunade, Shizune, Tonton, Gaara, Iruka and, to Naruto's surprise, even Shikamaru had come to his party. Sasuke had been thrilled with all their gifts and attention.

The little raven had asked for a spar against each one of them and was happy to learn several knew moves with the help of his Sharingan (after asking for Naruto's permission to use it, of course). Tsunade had told the blond that it would be a good opportunity to train his Dōjutsu, since everyone in the party knew about it and could help the boy develop it.

"How many tomoe seals do you have so far, Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked, after his spar.

The boy blinked, confused by that question.

"My what?" he asked.

"You know… those black dots that look like a comma in your eyes when you activate the Sharingan?"

"I… I dunno" Sasuke activated his Sharingan and ran to the mirror in the bathroom to look at his crimson eyes. "I have one! One on each eye!" he said, going back to the backyard where everyone else was.

"Hmm, I see…" Shikamaru answered, looking at the last Uchiha's eyes. The young genius didn't tell the Hokage, but one of the main reasons why he had asked her to come to the party was because he wanted to see Sasuke's development for himself.

Shikamaru sat in chair and enjoyed the sea breeze and the warm weather while Naruto and the others chatted by the table and ate Sasuke's birthday cake.

"This dots…" Sasuke said. "They're called tomoe seals?"

"Yeah."

"So… why did you ask me how many I had?"

"Huh? You mean you don't know?" Shikamaru asked. Sasuke's confused expression was answer enough. "You have an immature Sharingan. The more you use it, the more it will evolve and gain more tomoe up to three per eye. That's a fully mature Sharingan."

"Three on each eye?" Sasuke repeated. "That's six tomoe. I only got two…" the boy sat near Shikamaru and sighed. "I wish I could train it more, but Tou-chan said it's dangerous."

Shikamaru looked at Sasuke's head before focusing on the clouds in the blue sky. "He's right, you know? Your eyes are very rare and it's dangerous if you show them around. An enemy ninja could rip them off or kidnap you. They do that even with other dōjutsus."

"Really?"

"Ever heard of the Byakugan?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"Well… the Byakugan is a dōjutsu from the Hyūga clan from Konoha. In fact, two of my friends are from that same clan" Shikamaru explained. "When one of my comrades was just three years old, a ninja from Kumo tried to kidnap her because of her eyes."

Sasuke winced. They tried to take the eyes off a three year old? Grownup ninjas really did horrible stuff like that just to get powerful?

"That's gross!" the little boy said, deactivating his Sharingan. "What happened to her? Did he take her eyes?"

"No. Her dad killed the kidnapper. But some people aren't as lucky."

Suddenly, Sasuke imagined a big, dark and scary room, filled with Sharingan eyes in glass containers. This image seemed so real and creepy, that Sasuke felt his skin crawl. Trying to push that vision away from his mind, the raven turned to Shikamaru once more.

"Shikamaru?"

"Hmm?"

"You… You grew up with Tou-chan, right? You went to the Academy together."

Slightly intrigued, the young Nara looked at Sasuke in the eye.

"I guess you could say that" Shikamaru answered. "We were on the same class at the Academy and we graduated at the same time. Why do you ask?"

The boy grabbed his pants with both hands and diverted his eyes from Shikamaru's face.

"So you met… his rival too?"

Shikamaru's eyes widened as he stared at the raven haired boy sitting next to him. He was pretty damn sure Naruto still hadn't told Sasuke the truth about his past or that they had been teammates. It was still too soon for Sasuke to cope with what he had done, it would be too traumatizing for the boy. But apparently, Naruto had been telling him stories about "his rival".

"Yes" Shikamaru finally answered. "Yes, I did."

"How is he like?"

Shikamaru couldn't help but notice the use of the present sentence, so Sasuke thought Naruto's "rival" was still around. To answer his question, he had to talk about the past. But how far should he talk? What was he allowed to say? Man… what a drag!

"He was the class genius" the young man finally said. "You know? Best at everything, good-looking and very popular, especially with the girls and the teachers."

"I already know that" Sasuke said, trying not to think that Shikamaru's description also applied to him… and Riku for that matter. "What I want to know is how is he like as a friend?"

"A friend?"

"Yeah."

"He never really was my friend. To tell you the truth, I never liked him much" Shikamaru revealed, hoping not to be making a mistake. He almost felt like apologizing to the kid for the things he was saying. It wasn't the boy's fault that he used to be a prick.

"Really?" Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief. "Why? Did he make fun of you? Was he a bully?"

"No! Nothing like that. He just wasn't easy to be friends with. He was a loner and thought he was better than everybody else, like no one was worth his time or energy" Shikamaru sighed. "He just… wasn't fun to be with."

"But… Dad talks so much about him…"

Shikamaru took a deep breath. What was Sasuke getting at? Why was he so interested in Naruto's "rival"?

"I never really understood your Dad's friendship with him" Shikamaru said. "They were complete opposites and seemed to hate each other's guts. Naruto was determined to beat him no matter what. I guess he wanted to prove to everyone, especially him, that he wasn't a loser. Then, when they became teammates, they had no choice but to work together" he took Asuma's lighter from his pocket and opened, watching the orange flame. "Being on a team, putting your life in your comrades' hands, protecting each other with your life… that creates a very strong bond, even between rivals."

Sasuke lowered his eyes and stared at his small hands. He just couldn't help it. He needed to know more about that guy. He wanted people to tell him that he wasn't that big a deal. That he and Naruto weren't that close and, whatever friendship they shared, had disappeared over the years.

_"Please tell me he's not that important to Tou-chan. Tell me they grew apart and that their not friends anymore"_ Sasuke pleaded to himself. _"Tou-chan has **me**! I'm here and he doesn't need that other guy."_

Shikamaru noticed that the raven looked upset. "Hey, Sasuke? Is something wrong?" the boy shook his head. "Why are you asking me all this?"

"I… I was curious" Sasuke shrugged, trying to pretend he wasn't interested. "Daddy talks about him so much that I just wanted to know more. It's no big deal."

"He does, huh?" Shikamaru mumbled. "I guess it can't be helped, since they're best friends."

Sasuke's body tensed and his heart started to beat faster. Slowly, he turned to Shikamaru, his black eyes wide and shocked.

"His… what?" the boy asked.

"His best friend" Shikamaru repeated with a small chuckle. "Naruto would do anything for that guy; even give up his dream of being Hokage to save him. Damn, he would give his life for him if he had the chance."

Sasuke just couldn't believe it. All this time, he had thought that **he** was Naruto's best friend, that **he** was the most important person in his heart. He wanted to believe in that, even when Tou-chan talked about the rival, Sasuke wanted to believe that it was all in the past and that they were each other's best friend.

But he couldn't run away from the truth anymore. He had never been his best friend, or the person he cared about the most. That place belonged to his rival. He was the one Naruto wanted to be with.

Naruto would give up his precious dream for him. He would give his life for him and leave Sasuke all alone without a second thought, because he wasn't the one who mattered.

Shikamaru was about to continue talking when he glanced at Sasuke. The kid was white as a sheet, his hands were trembling and he looked like he was about to cry.

"Oi! Sasuke? Are you ok?"

All of a sudden, the sadness in the child's eyes was replaced with bitter fury. He jumped from his chair and picked his wooden katana.

"Let's train again" Sasuke said.

"Huh? We just sparred" the young Nara replied, still at a loss. "What's got into you?"

"Nothing" the raven said, trying to control his shaking voice. "My kenjutsu exam his tomorrow. I need to train more. I don't have time to be fooling around."

"You already trained before and during the party. Besides, it's your birthday."

Sasuke grabbed the wooden handle stronger. "Just fight me! Please… just do it."

As Shikamaru picked his blades and fought the raven haired child, he saw the anger and sorrow in his tearful eyes. Sasuke was furious and heartbroken; all his movements with the katana reflected his rage and feelings of betrayal. That's when Shikamaru understood.

_"Oh God! He's jealous!"_ the genius realized. _"He's jealous of himself."_

* * *

Naruto had watched Sasuke fight with Shikamaru and had been curious why they were sparring for the second time. However, it was Sasuke's birthday and if he wanted to train he should.

He was most likely nervous about the kenjutsu exam. The blond was pretty sure his son was going to graduate with flying colors, but if he was too worried he could lose his focus. Naruto would have to talk to him about it and try to calm him down.

Meanwhile, while the raven and Shikamaru battled in the garden, Naruto had a great time catching up and sharing old stories.

It was in times like this that he really missed his home and his old life.

A few hours later, all guests had to leave to their respective houses. Shizune was fretting about Tsunade's paperwork, Gaara's siblings would be worried if they couldn't find him and Iruka had a class to organize.

Naruto was about to call Sasuke to say goodbye, when Shikamaru showed up with the raven boy fast asleep on his back.

"Ah? He fell asleep?" Tsunade asked.

"We were training for hours" Shikamaru explained. "He told he just wanted to rest his legs for a few minutes. Next thing I know, he's snoozing."

"You really worn him out" Naruto said, taking Sasuke into his arms. The boy immediately put his hands around his chest and rested his head on Naruto's shoulder.

Iruka smiled softly. "Who would have thought it? If someone had told me there would be a day when Sasuke would sleep in Naruto's arms, I would think he was insane… or perverted."

"Geez! Iruka sensei!" Naruto yelled. "I think you just fried my brain with that image!"

Everyone laughed (well, Gaara chuckled) and agreed with the sensei, except Shikamaru.

"I'll summon the frogs once I get this kid into bed" Naruto said, going up the stairs.

"Wait, Naruto!" Shikamaru said, following the blond. "We need to talk."

"Can't it wait? I'll put Sasuke in bed and then I'll go to you guys."

"No" the Nara genius said solemnly. "We need to talk, in private."

Naruto looked confused but nodded so Shikamaru would follow him to Sasuke's bedroom. Shikamaru watched attentively as the young blond undressed Sasuke without waking him up and dressed his pajamas before laying the boy in bed. It was amazing to see Naruto behaving like a parent, and not an inept one!

After closing the bedroom door, both ninjas went to Naruto's room.

"What's up Shikamaru?" the blond man asked. "What do you wanna talk about?"

Shikamaru sighed. "It's about Sasuke."

Naruto's eyes became solemn.

"What about him?"

"Naruto… You have been telling him stuff about your past, right?"

"Well… yes, I have" Naruto answered, a bit confused. "How do you know?"

"He told me you've talking about it a lot. More precisely, you have been talking about **your** **rival** a lot."

"I didn't tell him who he was. I just told him bits and pieces of our childhood and Genin days because he seemed curious about it."

"Really?" Shikamaru asked. "How does he act when you talk about his past self?"

"Huh? He just listens" Naruto replied, feeling a bit confused. "Sometimes he asks a few questions about it, but that's it. Seriously Shikamaru, why are you asking me that? I'm being careful, I'm not telling Sasuke things he shouldn't know and he won't…"

"It's not that" Shikamaru interrupted. "I think Sasuke is jealous."

Naruto's eyes widened in awe and bewilderment. "What?_ Jealous_? Jealous of whom?"

Shikamaru frowned. "Your rival."

"_What?_" the blond exclaimed. "That's ridiculous! Sasuke is jealous of himself? C'mon!"

"He doesn't know **he** was your rival. All he knows is that you talk about some guy from your team all the time. He told me today and he didn't seem very happy about it."

Naruto shook his head, he just couldn't believe this.

"Maybe… maybe I've been talking more about the past than usual. But I'd have noticed if he was upset" the blond said, trying to remember the many conversations he had with his son. "Besides, I've talked about our other comrades, Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei. He never seemed jealous about them!"

"Maybe because he sensed that your "rival" is very special to you."

"Of course he is! They're the same person!"

"But he doesn't know, does he?" Shikamaru asked, watching Naruto's mouth slowly close. "In your head and in your heart, you're talking about the same person. But, to Sasuke, your rival is someone from your past who's a threat."

"A threat? How can he be a threat?"

"Sasuke asked me how the "rival" was as a friend. He wanted to know more about your relationship."

Naruto blinked, completely stunned. "He asked you that?"

"He did. And I guess I screwed up" Shikamaru answered. "I told him how strong a bond between teammates gets over time. I told him that you two were best friends" he put his hands inside his pockets. "You should have seen the look on his face. He was heartbroken and furious, like he had been betrayed."

Naruto gaped. His mind went blank and he had no idea on how to react or what to think.

"Betrayed?" the blond repeated.

"I believe he thinks you've picked his past self over him" Shikamaru explained, as Naruto gaped even more. "Sasuke thought you and him were best friends."

"And we are!" Naruto exclaimed, taken aback. "For crying out loud, Shikamaru! This whole thing is insane! You must have misunderstood him. I never said anything about his… past self that would make him think that I favored him."

"I'm just telling you what I saw" the genius shinobi said, his back to Naruto. "You can believe me or not, but I seriously recommend you talk to Sasuke."

Shikamaru took his hands of his pockets and moved towards the door.

* * *

Inside his sword, trapped but protected by the crystal so many had underestimated so many decades ago, Nobunaga stared once more at his followers.

Each and every one of them thought they were in control of their new powers and minds, and he had let them think that way. After all, they were nothing more than stupid brats. However, they were the perfect pawns for his plan.

Ever since his chamber had been discovered and he gained his first followers, Nobunaga had increased his army, slowly but surely, each night. His followers were given simple and easy orders: bring to him every child between the ages of two and seventeen.

He imagined that their parents would be worried sick about their missing brood. Actually, he had been counting on it.

"Go!" he said. The crowd disappeared into the night with the strength and the agility of the best warriors. All thanks to the crystal's powers he'd learned how to control.

Even though he could see or hear, he knew exactly what was happening in the Fishermen and the Merchant's District. Finally, after being gone for months, the children were going home to their families.

It wouldn't be a happy reunion.

He could almost see their parents' faces. The confusion, the shock and the relief after they recognized their precious child. Sure, their kids would look different, but that wouldn't matter to a parent, especially one who thought they had lost their son or daughter forever. That's when his followers would attack.

They weren't going meet any resistance. After all, no parent would be capable of killing their beloved child.

An hour before sunrise, his followers came back to the caves with no hint of remorse or guilt on their faces. Quite the opposite, they looked ecstatic and craved for more.

"Soon" he said inside their heads. "Tonight we have completed the first part of my plan. In a few hours, you shall hunt down the rest of my army in the Warrior's District. Once I have them, taking over the Islands will be an easy feat."

It was almost done. His army was almost complete. All he need were the samurai's children.

Of course they wouldn't stay children. He had no use for them in their weak and pathetic bodies and minds, but that was why they were so perfect and easy to manipulate. The crystal made their bodies strong; it bathed them with knowledge and turned them into the perfect warriors. Little did they know that they were slowly losing their personality as well, becoming little more than mindless dolls, controlled by his thoughts and wishes.

Once all the samurai children were turned, he could begin the final part of his plan. Because one of the children was going to be special, that one would be chosen from the rest to a greater purpose.

His resurrection. That child would be his new body.

* * *

Naruto woke up to the sound of someone flushing down the toilet. Looking at his clock, he realized that it was almost eight o'clock. Both he and Sasuke needed to get ready soon!

The blond shinobi jumped out bed, threw his pajamas carelessly to the floor and got dressed. As he expected, Sasuke was already up. His bedroom was empty and he had been to one who had gone to the bathroom.

Knowing his son, Sasuke most had used the toilet, at least, three times already. He always did it when he was nervous before a school test.

That thought brought back the conversation Naruto had with Shikamaru the night before. The blond shook his head. Shikamaru was wrong, he knew Sasuke! He knew his son! He would have known if he was upset because of the stories he told.

_"And why on Earth would he be jealous of his past self?"_ the jinchūriki thought, coming down the stairs. "_Even if they were two different people, Sasuke knows I love him more than anyone else. Why would he think I didn't? Shikamaru got it all wrong."_

When he got to the kitchen, Naruto stopped on his tracks. Sasuke was already eating his breakfast, his wooden katana wrapped and beside him along with his backpack. He looked completely ready for the exam, that wasn't what surprised Naruto.

It was a coincidence, of course, but Sasuke was wearing an identical outfit to the one he wore when they were kids in the Academy: a black, short-sleeved shirt with a raised collar, white shorts and white bandages around his legs. All that was missing was the Uchiha crest.

For a moment, Naruto thought he had opened the door to the past.

Sasuke looked up from his bowl and saw Naruto standing still by the doorframe.

"Morning" the boy said with no hint of emotion, before continuing his meal.

"Ah… Good morning" Naruto answered, moving towards the sink. "You sure got up early today. And you're already ready to go, I'm impressed."

The raven shrugged. "I have an exam today, I can't be late. Besides I can wake up, get dress and make breakfast on my own. I can take care of myself."

Naruto noticed the slight bitter tone in the child's voice and the fact that he hadn't even looked at him in the eyes when he talked.

"Is everything okay, Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "I mean… you must be nervous about the exam."

The boy finished his breakfast and placed the bowl in the sink. To Naruto's surprise, he actually washed it and placed it on the counter to dry.

"I fine" he finally said. "You don't have to _pretend_ you're worried about me."

"What? What do you mean "pretend"?" Naruto asked. "I'm not pretending!"

"Hmph" Sasuke snorted. "Whatever. I have to go."

Sasuke left the kitchen but Naruto followed him and grabbed his arm, forcing him to face him.

"Don't you "whatever" me!" Naruto said angrily and worried by the boy's sudden hostility. "What is wrong with you? Why are you so mad?"

Sasuke pulled his arm from Naruto's grasp and shot him a look of pure resentment. "I'm not mad. I'm fine! And even if I was, why would you care?"

"Because I'm your father, dammit!" Naruto cried out. "Of course I care about you! How can you say that?"

Sasuke smiled bitterly.

"Well, you don't have to" the child spat, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. "You can go back to the village and go on missions with your **best friend**. That's what you really want to do!"

Naruto's eyes became incredibly wide. Shikamaru had been right, Sasuke was jealous of his past self. He probably had been resenting him ever since Naruto first spoke about him.

How come Naruto didn't see this? How could he be so clueless?

"Sasuke… I don't want to go anywhere" the blond said.

"Of course you do. You keep talking about him all the time. You keep saying how wonderful he is" Sasuke's voice was shaking with anger and sorrow. "I don't matter you, I never did! All you care about is him!"

"That's not true!" Naruto yelled. "You got it all wrong!"

"Then why you keep talking about him? Why can't you just forget him?"

"Because… because I can't, Sasuke" Naruto admitted. He couldn't forget Uchiha Sasuke and he couldn't pretend that he and his son were two different people. He loved Sasuke as a whole, he couldn't deny either his past or present.

The dark haired boy tensed and paled. That was Naruto's answer. He would never forget his rival. Sasuke would never be his best friend or the person he really loved the most. That place had always been taken by that guy.

"Now I get it" Sasuke said, cursing himself for his tears. "You got stuck with me, when you really wanted him instead. I bet you didn't get me a present yesterday because you forgot about me. All think is about that guy!"

"Damn it, teme! That's not true!"

"Of course it is! If he hadn't left the village, I wouldn't be here with you. You would be in Konoha with him, like you always wanted!"

Naruto's mouth opened but no sound came out. All he could think was that it was true. If Sasuke had never defected, they wouldn't be here. They would still be teammates.

Sasuke took his father's silence as a proof that he had been right. All his feelings of insecurity were finally being revealed. He had nothing to lose now. He knew his father's first choice.

"I knew it. I knew I was the second choice" the boy said, his voice filled with grief. "If you love him that much, then why didn't you adopt him instead of me?"

Before Naruto could answer, Sasuke ran out the door. Naruto ran after him but he bumped into someone and almost fell to the ground.

"Naruto? Are you alright?"

The blond looked up. Muramasa was standing right in front of him, holding something wrapped in a beautiful cloth.

"Muramasa-sama? I… What are you doing here?"

"I kept my word" Muramasa said, handing Naruto the wrapped sword. "Here… is the sword."

Naruto got up and grabbed the sword, felling it beneath the cloth. He looked behind Muramasa, but Sasuke had disappeared. He should be near the school by now. He couldn't talk to him before the exam.

_"Why Sasuke?"_ Naruto thought sadly. _"Why do you have to turn everything into a mess? Why can't you ever understand my feelings no matter what age you are?"_

"Is something wrong?" the swordsmith asked. "Did I come in a bad time?"

"No, no… It's just a family issue" the blond shinobi answered. "I'm glad you repaired the chokutō. I must admit I had my doubts."

The older man nodded. "It was a demanding job. I had to be very careful not to break it and I had to replace many of its elements. The chokutō is fixed now; all it needs is a new name."

"A new name?"

"Your son is going to receive the sword when he graduates, right? So he must go to the Itsukushima temple and rename his sword."

"Why does he have to rename it?"

Muramasa looked at Naruto in the eye. "Because the sword will accompany him in a new journey. It needs a new name. It's his duty as his former owner."

Naruto gaped and his eyes went very wide. Muramasa knew! Oh God, he knew!

"Muramasa-sama, you…"

"NARUTO-DONO!"

Both men turned around as a young samurai ran to them, looking as pale as a ghost.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto-dono, you must come to the Fishermen and the Merchant's District right now!"

"Wha…? How come? What happened?"

"It's… Oh God, it's a disaster" the young samurai, who was just a month younger than Naruto, said. "Everybody is dead!"

* * *

Fortunately, Sasuke had time to go to the bathroom and wash his face. When he came out, he was composed and no one could tell that he had been crying.

The raven followed his classmates and the other older students to the big dojo the school only used during the kenjutsu graduation exam. The older students were more nervous than the younger ones, because they knew how hard the exam was and had already failed multiple times. Masamune was ruthless!

Grunting, Sasuke sat next to Riku, who didn't look cheerful either. Shigeru didn't even wish him good luck for the exam; he had just left to work as usual. Typical! Why did he keep waiting for his attention and approval when he knew he was never going to get them? Stupid, stupid, stupid!

When Masamune entered the dojo, all the chattering ceased. The one-eyed teacher's presence alone imposed respect.

"There has been a change of plans. The exam has been cancelled until further notice." the sensei said, ignoring the children's shocked looks and worried voices. "You are to stay here until I say it's safe to leave."

The student's questions fell like rain.

"What is going on?" a student asked.

"Why do we have to stay here?" another asked as well.

"Why can't we leave?"

"Are we under attack?"

"I guess you can say that" a voice said.

Masamune turned around and gaped. All of a sudden, dozens of cloaked figures surrounded them, blocking all the exits.

They were too many, men and women, staring at the children with devilish grins. All that was visible through their hoods were their mouths.

"Invaders!" Masamune yelled, pulling his sword and ready to battle. "How dare you assault our Islands and this school? You shall pay it with your lives!"

The cloaked men and women laughed.

"Invaders? Not quite, old man" one of them said, smiling with derision.

"I won't let you lay a finger on the children" the old sensei said. "I will protect them with my life!"

"Uuuh! Such big words for a beaten old geezer" a woman taunted. "Your glory days are long gone. You're finished."

Masamune grinned. "Let's see who's finished!"

The old sensei ran towards one of the invaders, his sword ready to behead him. Out of the blue, the man smirked and a purple entity appeared behind his back. The creature stretched out it's arms and grabbed Masamune, lifting him into the air.

The old man fought to free himself, but his strength was leaving him and he felt weaker by the second. His sword fell to the ground, as his hands couldn't grab it anymore. His body became cold and he saw that horrible creature absorb all his chakra.

Finally, Masamune stopped moving and the creature dropped him carelessly to the ground. The sensei laid on the floor, next to his beloved sword, lifeless.

Then, all hell broke loose.

* * *

**Sorry for the cliffy, but it seemed appropriate for the chapter.**

**I know what some of you might be thinking: Sasuke get's into trouble, Naruto shows up, he saves Sasuke and all is well again. Well… I'm going to do something a bit different this time, or else it would be too predictable.**

**I hope it's still going to be cool though. **

**BTW, Muramasa is over 100 years old and yes, it's because of the crystal he has on his necklace. **

**The "bad guy" in this arc is called Nobunaga. I named him after Oda Nobunaga, remembered in Japan as one of the most brutal figures of the Sengoku period.**

**See you guys later and Happy 2012!**


	49. Corruption

**Ok… like I said, Raven's Fall is cannon for this story. Some of you even told me to make it a mandatory read for Phoenix Rising. **

**I don't and can't force anyone to read it, but you'll understand this chapter a bit better regarding Sasuke's rebirth jutsu and its limits if you do.**

**I hope you like this chapter.**

* * *

**Corruption**

汚職 _(Oshoku)_

Still with Sasuke's chokutō in his hand, Naruto followed the samurai to the Fishermen District. When they arrived, many other samurai greeted him with somber and concerned expressions on their faces. Some of them looked frightened.

It had been getting worse when the kidnappings didn't stop. Even when parents locked their houses at night, even with dozens samurai and other men patrolling the streets, children kept disappearing from their beds along with their siblings. It didn't matter if they slept alone or shared a room with their parents. Every night, several kids vanished into thin air, with no signs of forced entry.

Each day was filled with sadness and worry in those Districts. At night, one could literally feel the parents despair as they held to their children, hoping they wouldn't be taken from them. But they always were and the districts had become a place for mourning.

Now, the whole place felt like a ghost town. Aside from the breeze, the waves from the ocean and the seagulls, everything was dead silent. Naruto couldn't ear of feel any human presence. It was frightening.

As they walked towards the docks, where Shigeru was waiting, Naruto noticed that every door of every house was open. The samurai bowed to Shigeru and left the two alone to talk.

"Naruto-dono" Shigeru greeted with a nod.

"Shigeru-san… what happened in here?" Naruto promptly asked. "Is it true that everybody is dead? How could this happen?"

The Sanada leader closed his eyes, looking as tired as ever. "We checked every house of this District. My men are still checking the Merchant's District, but I expect them to find the same we found here" to Naruto's surprise, Shigeru's hands trembled and his eyes were filled with guilt and sorrow. "You should see for yourself."

Shigeru walked to the nearest house and went inside with Naruto in tow. The blond's eyes widened as he saw a middle aged man lying lifelessly on the wooden floor as if he had fallen on his back. His eyes were closed and he looked pale, aside from that he looked fine. He didn't look injured.

Naruto looked all around and spotted a woman, also lying on the floor near a fallen chair. She didn't look injured either.

"What happened to them?" Naruto asked. "How did they die? Was it poison?"

"That's a possibility, but I don't think it was" Shigeru placed his head near the fallen man's mouth. "Truth is… they're still alive."

Naruto gaped.

"What? They're alive? How? They're not even breathing!"

"They _are_ breathing, but it's so faint it could pass unnoticed. Here!" Shigeru took a small blade from his pocket and placed it near the man's nose.

The blade became fogged. It was true, they were alive!

"How…?" Naruto asked. "If they're alive, why do they look like this?"

Shigeru shook his head. "I don't know. They have almost no pulse and their heart beat is so slow that they can easily look dead. You could say they're in a temporary death state."

"Temporary? You mean they will wake up?"

"I don't know… It appears that something or someone has drained their life force and most of their chakra. If they're not returned to them, they will most certainly die."

Naruto looked once again at those two people. Who would do this? Who would drain the life force and chakra of hundreds of people in one night? Why?

"Wait a minute!" the blond jinchūriki said, looking at the unconscious man closely. "I know this man! I spoke with him last week. His daughter was kidnapped."

Shigeru stood up and nodded slowly. "I know. First the children disappear and now everyone from their District shows up like this… It can't be a coincidence."

"You think that whoever kidnapped the kids did this to them?" Naruto asked. "There's no way a single person did all this, not even a very powerful shinobi could have done it without some sort of help. Besides…"

Naruto moved towards the woman and checked her front and back.

"What are you looking for?" Shigeru asked.

"Why aren't they injured?" Naruto asked. "Even if the attacker didn't need to hurt them, they would still fight him back, right? They wouldn't just stand still while someone drained their chakra."

"Maybe he was too quick" Shigeru said, pondering Naruto's words. "Or maybe he took them by surprise."

"Does anyone show defensive wounds?"

Shigeru shook his head, his mind racing with a very disturbing thought. "None of them shows signs of a struggle. Their houses don't show it either. Actually, there was no forced entry. The doors were wide open. They let the attacker come into the house."

"Why would they do that?" Naruto asked. "Everybody was worried sick with the kidnapper. They wouldn't just let some stranger into their homes."

"Exactly" the Sanada leader picked the man up and put him in a sofa. "They opened their doors to this person and did not fight back, which leads me to believe that they knew, maybe even trust the one who did this."

Naruto's eyes widened. "You mean… there's a traitor in the Islands?"

"Traitors, most likely. Like you said, this is too much for just one person" Shigeru sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Everyone on the two districts is in a death state, even the homeless. Damn, not even the animals were spared."

It was the first time Naruto saw Shigeru lose his cool and curse. He was terribly worried and nervous. Nothing like this had ever happened during his father's or his grandfather's time in power. He had sworn to lead and protect the islands and its habitants and he had completely failed them. Just like he had failed Miya and Hatori… and Rei.

"Shigeru-san?" Naruto asked. "What are we gonna do?"

No! He couldn't drown in despair. Shigeru didn't have that luxury. His men and his people still needed him for guidance. He was the leader of the Unmei Islands and he should start acting like one. He was responsible and he should be the one to set things right.

"First we need to prepare for another attack" Shigeru said. "The children are already being held in the school and their teachers should be enough to protect them for a while. Everyone who can't fight will go to shelter in the mountains, and then the teachers will also take the children there. Meanwhile, we must prepare ourselves for a confrontation with these people" he turned to the blond ninja. "Naruto-san… I apologize for having you involved in this crisis, but I'd be honored if you could join us in battle."

Naruto nodded vehemently. "Of course I'll help! Count me in!"

"Thank you" Shigeru said, sounding very relieved. "You should go back to your house and get ready for battle then. Meet me at my Mansion when you're ready."

"Right!" Naruto said as he walked towards the door. "Don't worry, Shigeru-san. We'll find out who this and make everything right again!"

With determination shinning in his blue eyes, Naruto ran to his house, grasping his son's sword.

* * *

Sasuke opened his eyes slowly and flinched. He was on his knees, that much he could tell, but when he tried to see where he was he saw only darkness.

"_Where am I?"_ the boy thought, his head feeling heavy and dizzy._ "What happened?"_

That's when he noticed that he can't move his arms to touch his head. They're tied up behind his back with a rope.

"What…?" he asked hoarsely.

"Don't speak!" a voice whispers at his right side. "They'll hear you."

Sasuke blinked and looked to where the voice was. At first, he couldn't see a thing but his eyes got used to dark rather quickly, and he saw someone's silhouette. It was a kid, just a few inches taller than him, with shoulder-length hair and sharp, attentive and intelligent eyes.

"Riku?" Sasuke whispered.

"Yeah" the silver haired boy answered, looking from side to side. "Don't talk very loud and don't scream. They'll hit you if you do."

"They? Who's they?"

"The guys in the dark cloaks. They kidnapped us and brought us here."

It all came back to him. Sasuke remembered being in the dojo for the kenjutsu exam when those strange people arrived. One of them had killed Masamune and then they had attacked the students. The raven remembered trying to fight them back with his wooden katana and then… nothing. He couldn't remember what had happened. The last thing he recalled was a purple flash.

Now that his eyesight had improved, Sasuke realized that they were in a big cave. His classmates and the older students were all around him, also tied up. There were other children there that he didn't recognize, younger than he was. Even a few toddlers. Some were still unconscious, but most of them were already awake, looking as frightened and nervous as he felt.

Riku, on the other hand, looked surprisingly calm, simply glaring at his captors. "They gotta be the same guys who kidnapped the kids from the Fishermen and the Merchant's Districts. Now… they decided to take us. All at once."

Sasuke's onyx eyes widened. He had heard enough from his Dad about the mysterious kidnappings and how no one had been able to find the missing children. Just like they wouldn't be able to find them this time.

"What do they want with us?" Sasuke asked, trying not to shiver. "What are they going to do?"

Riku shook his head. "I don't know… but it can't be good."

How could Riku be so calm? Sasuke's fear was becoming unbearable! He felt his eyes burning and his throat tight, his hands were shaking so bad that he had to close them. He wasn't going to cry and bawl like a scared little boy. Not in front of Riku, no matter how terrified he truly was.

All he wanted was to go home. He wanted his Daddy… even if he didn't love him.

Meanwhile, Riku kept trying to remain calm and cool and think of a way to escape. However, even though his face remained blank, he was too scared to think straight. He had heard his father talk with the other samurai about the abductions and their theories about the children's fate. They all believe that the kids would have been killed.

"Who the fuck are you?" a teenager yelled from the other side of the cave. Everybody's eyes widened in awe and fear as he stood up and tried to break free. "What do you want?"

The teen's yells were swiftly silenced when one of the cloaked people punched him in the gut and he fell to the ground, moaning in pain.

"Why do they always ask the same stupid questions?" a man said with an evil grin. "Don't worry. Everything will be over soon."

A girl next to Sasuke started to cry, calling out for her mother and father. Many other kids were doing the same, but they kept their whimpers as quiet as they could so they wouldn't be beat up. The older ones were afraid as well, but they tried to get rid of the ropes unsuccessfully. They weren't going to die without a fight.

Sasuke also tried to break free. He had learned how to untie his hands at school, but the ropes seemed to be made of iron and wouldn't move an inch.

"Everyone up!" one woman yelled. "Let's move it! And don't try anything funny!"

They made everyone stand up and pushed them like cattle through the tunnels of the cave.

"I know this cave" Riku whispered, right behind Sasuke.

"Huh?"

"It's one of the caves in the Children's Island. No wonder the adults never found any clues if they were hiding here all along."

Sasuke nodded, but knowing where he was wasn't really helpful right now. There were too many cloaked people around them and making sure no one got away. Even if Sasuke got rid of his ropes, he wouldn't be able to run very far without being caught.

They made them enter a big chamber. It looked like a temple, built inside of the cave. Right on the middle, there was a big purple crystal shinning unnaturally. Inside the crystal, there was a samurai sword. Somehow, looking at the crystal made Sasuke's skin crawl. There was a strange power in that thing. He couldn't tell what it was; he just knew it wasn't good.

This was it. They were going to kill them all now.

"_Daddy, I'm scared. I don't wanna die."_

The crystal shone more brightly and the kids cried in fear. On the other hand, the cloaked people looked surprised at the crystal.

"I found the one" a strange voice said, echoing through the halls. Sasuke tried to find the origin of the voice, but he couldn't see anyone and it seemed that the voice was coming from everywhere. "Bring him to me."

A cloaked woman moved among the children, in Sasuke's direction. The raven became tense as the woman got even closer, knocking some kids to move faster. As she got right next to him… she kept going.

Surprised, Sasuke looked behind him and saw the woman grab Riku.

"Stop! Let me go!" the silver haired boy screamed, trying to escape her grasp in vain. "Let me go! Let me go!"

As the woman walked right next to Sasuke again, the raven exchanged glances with Riku. For the first time, Sasuke saw Riku undeniably terrified; his light blue eyes wide and fearful, his jaw trembling.

The woman dropped Riku right in front of the crystallized sword. The boy glared at her before focusing on the shining gem.

"A Sanada" the mysterious voice said again. "What were the chances?"

"Who… who are you?" Riku asked, trying not to show his fear. "What do you want with us?"

"Hmm? A brave young one, I see. You really are a Sanada" the voice answered, amused and yet bitter at the same time. "You'll do just fine. Actually, this will be perfect. My life ended with a Sanada, now it's going to begin with another."

Sasuke could see Riku's confused face, blinking at the crystal. Was the voice coming from it? From the sword? Was this some kind of ghost?

Suddenly, the crystal burst into light and Riku started screaming. Sasuke was having trouble seeing clearly, but he noticed one of the cloaked figures cutting Riku's ropes.

Riku fell in all fours to the ground, trembling and screaming in agony. A few seconds later, his clothes dissolved and he stood there, completely naked. That's when things started to get really weird.

Riku seemed to be growing taller! His skinny arms and legs were getting bigger and muscular by the second, his silver hair longer. His voice was changing too, becoming lower as he passed past puberty and kept growing until adulthood.

"_What the hell?"_ Sasuke thought, his mouth open in astonishment and horror at what was happening to his classmate.

Then the light became even stronger, almost blinding Sasuke. However, he couldn't divert his eyes from it no matter how hard he tried, not even blink. The light was making him look at it and then he felt a horrible heat spreading all the way through his body, from his skin to his bones. It was so hot and painful that he didn't even realize that he was screaming or that his clothes had dissolved as well, or that the same thing was happening to everyone around him.

"_Daddy, help me! I want my Daddy!"_

"_**Do you really want him?"**_

"_Huh?"_

"_**That guy doesn't love you. You know that."**_

Sasuke didn't know who was talking. The voice seemed to be coming from inside his head. Was he the one talking? Were these his thoughts?

"**_Tou-chan has been lying to me all this time. He never wanted me in the first place; he got stuck with me because of Nii-san's jutsu. That was all. He never really loved me. He can't because he still loves _him_."_**

Sasuke fell on his knees and grabbed his throbbing head. The voice, _his_ voice, kept talking, unforgiving and filled with hatred and resentment.

"_**He told me I was his most precious person. He told me that he wanted to be with me and see me grow up. How could I have been so stupid? Of course he didn't! He had a perfect life in Konoha with his team. With his rival… his best friend!"**_

His heart was torn with sadness. It was all true. He knew it now. Sasuke had never been wanted; he was just a setback in his father's life.

"_**If he had the chance, Tou-chan would have switched me with his rival. His heart is so filled with him, that he doesn't have any room left for me. All this time, he wished he was with him instead, because he loves him beyond measure, and he could never feel the same way about me."**_

Sasuke fell on his knees, drops of sweat falling to the ground. His sorrow was being replaced by another feeling, anger. All his life had been a lie. All those times his father told him that he loved him were lies. He and his father were never a real family.

No, not his father… he was never his father to begin with. They weren't parent and child, they never had been. They were just two people connected by a kinjutsu. Naruto liked to play the hero, which was why he hadn't refused when Itachi had asked him to look after his sick brother.

Sasuke felt nauseated.

"**_Tou-chan… no, _Naruto_ took me out of pity. He has been fooling me all this time, making me think he really loved me. There was never love, just pity. He's nothing but a lying bastard who made me believe I had a family! My whole life was just a charade!"_**

Sasuke clenched his fists as anger, jealousy and betrayal crushed his heart into pieces. At the same time, the pain subsided. His body didn't hurt anymore. Actually… he was feeling better and stronger.

The raven barely noticed that he was growing, just like Riku had.

7 years old, 8 years old, 9 years old, 10 years old…

"_**He made me feel like a failure. Every time he lost himself on his memories of his damn rival, babbling on how awesome he is, he made me feel invisible. And he never even noticed!"**_

11 years old, 12 years old, 13 years old, 14 years old…

"_**Naruto wanted him to be here all along. He said so himself that he couldn't forget him, his almighty rival and best friend… Instead, he got the inferior model. A second choice, a consolation prize…"**_

15 years old, 16 years old, 17 years old, 18 years old…

"_**That son of a bitch! He played me for a fool all these years. I don't fucking need his fake love! I don't need this fake family! I'd rather have died back then! I wish I had never met him!"**_

19 years old, 20 years old, 21 years old, 22 years old…

"_**I wish he was dead!"**_

* * *

Naruto ran to his bedroom and opened his closet. Carefully, he prepared his pouch, filling it with shuriken, kunai, scrolls… everything that could help him in battle.

He couldn't imagine what he and the samurai were going to face. Whatever it was, Naruto was sure they would be able to handle it and save all those poor people in the Fishermen and Merchants' district. He needed to believe in that.

"_I've faced impossibly strong foes before"_ the blond jinchūriki thought. _"People here are strong as well. We will take care of this!"_

As he wrapped his Hitai-ate around his forehead, something fell from the closet and touched his feet. Curious, Naruto knelled and picked it up. It was a book with a silly drawing of a baby on the cover. It had fallen from a cardboard box he had inside the closet.

Despite already knowing what was inside, Naruto opened it. It was a photo album he had bought years ago, a few weeks after Sasuke's official adoption. Naruto had rented a camera and a video camera for the weekend and Gamakishi and Gamatatsu took dozens of pictures of Sasuke as a baby, like the one the boy had framed in his bedroom. They had also shot for hours with the video camera, whose tape was also inside the cardboard box.

Smiling softly, Naruto looked at his son's photos. Sasuke looked so small, innocent and so happy. Back then, Naruto was very happy too but also terribly scared of what the future might hold. He didn't don't squat about being a father and, suddenly, he was one and not to just any kid… he was Sasuke's father. The friend he couldn't save.

He had been afraid to screw everything up and make Sasuke suffer all over again, like he had done now. No matter how much he loved his child, he kept making mistakes one after the other.

Being a parent wasn't easy. Naruto knew he was doing his best for Sasuke… he just didn't know if that was enough.

The blond shinobi grabbed the album and the video tape and placed them on his bed. Then, he walked towards his bedside table, opened the bottom drawer and grabbed the framed photo of the original Team 7.

This photo was the first he had taken with other people. It was his first family photo.

All those times Naruto had talked to Sasuke about his past self, made him feel happy and remember that bastard had been a very good friend before his lust for vengeance changed him. Naruto wanted to tell his son about his former self, not because he loved his teammate more, but because he wanted Sasuke to know little by little about their friendship before he was old enough to tell him the truth.

It never crossed his mind that Sasuke could be jealous of his "rival", let alone that he would feel neglected and betrayed because he thought Naruto only cared about his past self. He didn't know they were the same person. He didn't know they had been best friends all along.

Carefully, Naruto took the picture from its frame. On the back, it had been written by the photographer so he could know who could reclaim the pictures:

_Team 7_

_Jōnin Hatake Kakashi_

_Genin: Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke_

With a sigh, Naruto put the picture in his pocket and left the room. Sasuke's chokutō was on the kitchen table, because that would be the first place the raven would go when he got home after all this mess had been taken care of.

Naruto still didn't know what to do or what to say to his son. The sorrow and hurt on his black eyes still haunted him, it broke his heart.

They needed to talk. Shikamaru had been right about that. Naruto needed to fix this huge misunderstanding, even if he didn't know how. He would have to find a way.

He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and started writing a letter. A few minutes later, he folded the paper in four and wrote "to Sasuke" before placing it on top of the sword. There was a chance Sasuke would be home before him and he wanted him to find the letter if they didn't have the chance to talk first.

"Okay… let's move!"

Naruto had just left his house when he remembered something. Shigeru had said the invaders had sucked the civilian's chakra. That would have been a huge amount of chakra, it had to go somewhere. Maybe if he found out where the chakra was, he could find them.

Trying to be calm and one with nature, Naruto slowly entered Sage Mode and felt the samurai chakra.

His yellow eyes widened in horror as he felt more and more people losing their chakra reserves. They were already under attack! The enemy was in their homes! And then… he felt it.

Sasuke's chakra. Right here.

The sound of the shuriken broke through the air and Naruto moved away just in time as it pierced the ground. It was a crystal shaped Fuma Shuriken.

"You dodged it. But I guess I shouldn't expect any less from the great Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto looked at his left and his face twisted with shock. From shadows of the forest behind their house, a fully grownup Sasuke walked towards him. His eyes had the Sharingan activated and he grinned ominously.

"Hello… Naruto."

* * *

**Yeah, I "played" with Sasuke's age _again_! I admit… I love age regression and age progression stories. **

**As for the Shiraha Rebirth jutsu, it wasn't broken. Like it was said on the first chapters, there are jutsus that can age a person. Sasuke can be aged (those who read Raven's Fall know what I'm talking about), he can even gain an adult mind, which was what happened in this chapter. What he can't become is his complete old self again, along with his memories. **

**Raven's Fall deals with that kind of situation and how the rebirth jutsu works should anyone try to bring Uchiha Sasuke fully back. **

**Nobunaga need an army and he used the children, turning them into strong and intelligent warriors to do his bidding. Riku was chosen as his new vessel.**

**I hope you liked the chapter.**

**See you guys next time!**


	50. Never Sleep, Never Die

**You have no idea how many times I wrote and erased this chapter, trying to get it right. I never seemed to be satisfied with the result. Even now I'm not entirely sure.**

**Warning: SPOILERS for Kyuubi's real name.**

**Well, here it goes. I hope you like it!**

* * *

**Never Sleep, Never Die**

決して睡眠は、死ぬことはない _(__Kesshite suimin wa, shinu koto wanai)_

Shigeru knew something was wrong the moment he got near his mansion. Everything was too quiet and still, as if nature was holding its breath, waiting for something awful to happen. The sky wasn't helping, dark and clouded. The clear blue sky in morning was long gone.

Ever since he was a child, the Sanada leader somehow could sense when something bad was about to happen. The day his father died, he hadn't felt at ease the whole day at school. When he got home, he was told his father had died from a stroke. Or when Miya and Hatori first got sick, even when everybody thought it was just a cold, he knew it was worse than that.

The last time it had happened was when he had received Rei's last letter, telling him to go meet her in a hospital in one of the smaller islands. Shortly after, she was dead too.

When he entered his Mansion's garden, Shigeru noticed the front door wide open, just like the ones in the Fishermen district.

"No…" he whispered, taking his sword from his waist, ready to battle.

He got into the house and saw the broken vases on the floor, the fallen chairs and tables. There had been a struggle.

"Hahaue?" he called, his voice echoing through the empty halls.

He walked slowly and attentive to every sound, opening very door of the house. That's when he found Kiyomi.

The old woman was lying on the floor of Riku's bedroom. She was as motionless and pale like the people he had found earlier in the afternoon. Like them, her chakra had been drained.

"Hahaue!" Shigeru screamed and ran to her side. He pulled her to his chest and shook her, yet Kiyomi didn't move a muscle.

How could this have happened? He had left other samurai on their district. They should have been strong enough to fight any intruders and protect those who couldn't fight and the children.

The children… They had left the children in the school…

_Riku…_

Shigeru put his mother in Riku's bed and ran out of the room. His body tensed and he stopped on his tracks when he felt the unmistakable tip of a blade on the back of his neck.

"Where do you think you're going, Shigeru-sama?" a man's voice sneered.

Before Shigeru could react, two more cloaked figures surrounded him, pointing strange crystal swords to his chest.

"Are you the ones who are doing all this?" he asked, calm but dangerously.

"Your mother put up quite a fight. She was fun to play with" one of them said.

"Are you planning to do the same thing to me?" Shigeru asked. To his surprise, the three hooded men grinned, amused.

"Unfortunately, no" another one answered. "We were ordered to pick you up, Shigeru-sama. There's someone who really wants to have a _few words_ with you."

"And who might this person be? Your leader, I presume?"

"Not yet, but he will be soon."

Shigeru blinked at this strange answer. "What is that supposed to mean?"

The two men in front of him chuckled as the third one knocked him out with a blow on the back of his head.

* * *

The wind was getting colder as the grey clouds covered the sun and the Islands where bathed in darkness.

Naruto felt every muscle of his body tense as Sasuke, _an adult Sasuke_, came out of the woods and walked towards him, looking as deadly and ruthless as he had seen him seven years ago.

"Sasuke…" Naruto whispered, still not believing his eyes.

The raven man stopped. He was wearing a black hooded cloak, which he took off and it landed a few meters away. Beneath it, he was wearing a sleeveless dark blue shirt; open at the torso, and black pants with a purple rope as a belt. He was also wearing black wrist warmers.

He seemed to be around Naruto's age. Uchiha Sasuke's age.

"So… You figured it out who I was right away" Sasuke said, still grinning. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You did see me as an adult once, didn't you… _father_?"

Naruto gaped, his long blond hair wavering in the cold wind. This couldn't be real! He just couldn't believe it! It had to be some sort of trick, a genjutsu, a clone… But it wasn't. Naruto knew it wasn't, because he could sense Sasuke's chakra with his Sage Mode.

Not only that. He knew Sasuke almost as well as he knew his own body. He knew this person wasn't a fake. However, when he opened his mouth, no sound came out.

"What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" Sasuke asked, his eyes showing the first hints of anger. "Or maybe… I'm just not worth of your time."

The blond ninja shuddered as if Sasuke had punched him. Those words were enough to wake him from his stupor. "Sasuke! What happened to you?"

"Hmph… Isn't it obvious?" Sasuke sneered. "I got the powerful body I always deserved. Not only that… Unlike last time, now I got the adult mind to follow. It's amazing" he laughed again, a horrible and sad laugh. "I know things I never learned. I can understand everything now! You can't imagine how great I feel!"

"Who did this to you?" Naruto asked, completely horrified by Sasuke's drastic change of personality. He wasn't his former teammate. He wasn't the Uchiha Sasuke he remembered, not even when he had lost his mind to hatred. And he wasn't his son either…

"Some guy whose spirit lives inside a sword" the raven shrugged, uninterested by the source of his new body and power. All he cared were the results. "He got me and the other kids at school while most of the samurai were away, just like he got the other kids from the other districts."

Naruto's yellow eyes widened. "What? You mean this guy was the one behind the kidnappings?"

"Apparently, he was. But I don't really give a damn about that" Sasuke stretched his arm and, as if by magic, a crystal sword appeared on his hand.

Naruto instinctively tensed. He knew a battle stance when he saw one. But this couldn't be happening! He wasn't going to fight Sasuke. He couldn't.

A loud scream from afar broke the silence, followed by the sound of something big and heavy collapsing.

"What about the other children?" Naruto asked. "Were they turned into adults like you?"

"Yeah. But like I said, that doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters! He wouldn't give you all that power unless he wanted something in return. So what does he want from you?"

Sasuke's grin vanished and he shot Naruto a look filled with annoyance and resentment. This didn't have anything to do with the other brats that guy had turned. This was _his_ battle against Naruto! Yet, that dumbass blond kept changing the topic from them to something else.

"He wants your chakra" the raven answered. Hatred, bitter and burning like acid, came in powerful waves as he spoke. "He wants us to give him as much chakra as we can drain from the _"real"_ adults from the Islands. And believe me… that will be my pleasure!"

Naruto didn't even have time to blink when Sasuke attacked him with his crystal sword. His new speed was incredible. He barely had time to block it with a kunai. Even his strength was practically equal to his own. He couldn't push him!

"_He's so strong"_ Naruto thought, dodging and blocking Sasuke's sword with his kunai as the raven tried to stab him over and over. _"And he's dead serious too. He actually wants…"_

Both men pushed each other and landed a few meters away. Naruto looked shocked while Sasuke was absolutely delighted with his new found power. It was everything he had dreamed to be. He felt strong and confident. He was stronger than anyone in this world! Even stronger than the legendary Uzumaki Naruto.

Wasting no time, the raven haired man attacked Naruto, mixing his kenjutsu with Taijutsu. Thanks to his Sharingan, everything was easier. He could see and anticipate all of Naruto's movements and block them on time.

Naruto, on the other hand, was getting worried. If he didn't start fighting for real, with the intention of harming Sasuke, he would be most likely killed by the raven. His new powers were amazing. He was practically as strong as he had been before the rebirth.

"Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled, as hundreds of clones appeared and surrounded Sasuke, attacking him from all sides.

The raven haired young man simply smirked as he destroyed the clones one by one with his sword and skills. Naruto took the opportunity to create the Rasengan and jumped while Sasuke was distracted.

* * *

_The baby continued to cry, his helpless little body shaking with cold and fright. His lips were trembling, his fists pressed against his face as if to protect himself, his feet dangling in the air. His chest and belly rose and fell as if he was having trouble breathing._

_Naruto stretched his arms towards him and touched his sticky belly as if to make sure he was real._

_"Sa-Sasuke?" Naruto asked._

_The infant showed no signs of having heard him. His hands and feet were blue with cold. Naruto was afraid to pick him up. He didn't know how to do it… what if he hurts him? But a wail of anguish from the little boy forced him, almost instinctively, to put a hand under the child's head and another under his bottom, raising the baby in the air and cuddle him close to his chest._

* * *

"Rasengan!" Naruto yelled, only a few meters from Sasuke.

* * *

_"Papa?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"When I'm big, I wanna be like you."_

_Naruto froze. Had he heard him right?_

_"Huh? You want to be like me?"_

_Sasuke nodded with a huge smile that made Naruto open his eyes in amazement. Sasuke's smile was just like his!_

_"Why, Sasuke?"_

_"'Cause you're my Papa and I'm your son. I wanna be just like you!"_

_Naruto opened his eyes wide._

_"You're the coolest, Papa!"_

* * *

The blue sphere of chakra dissipated.

"_I can't… I can't hurt him…"_

Sasuke looked around and tried to pierce Naruto. Fortunately, the jinchūriki used one of his clones to pull him and he avoided a fatal blow.

Sasuke frowned with irritation; Naruto was now mixed with his clones. However, there was a way to quickly dispatch them all.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

The fire ball was huge, as the raven expected. Its flames incinerated all the clones and some of the trees of the garden, leaving a crater on the ground.

Naruto's speed allowed him to avoid the Katon and, as he jumped from a tree to the lake, he saw Sasuke's right Sharingan changing. He now had two tomoe seals on his right eye and one on his left. The Sharingan had matured and Sasuke felt it.

"So this is what happens when the Sharingan matures?" the raven asked, as if to himself. "No wonder you never wanted me to use it. You knew how powerful I could become and you wanted to stop me."

"Damn it, Sasuke! That's not true! All I wanted was to protect you!" Naruto yelled.

"_Protect_? Don't fuck with me!" Sasuke yelled back. "You can cut the act already. I've had it with your lies!"

Naruto's color drained from his face. "Lies? What are you talking about?"

Sasuke stared hard at his face. His jaw muscles tensed.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about, Dobe. For seven years you've been lying to me" Sasuke continued, ruthless. "You made me believe that we were a family and that I actually meant something you. Idiot as I was, I even thought we were closer than most parents and children. I thought we were best friends. I thought that you _loved_ me! And all this time it was never real!"

Sasuke's infuriated eyes were like burning daggers in Naruto's heart. The blond's shoulders slumped and his eyes widened with shock and sadness.

"How can you say that?" Naruto asked, his face pained. "_It was real!_ Every minute of it!"

"LIAR!" Sasuke screamed, attacking Naruto once more. "Stop lying!"

The blond was able to dodge and tried to kick Sasuke. However, his leg lost its strength and he had to retreat before the raven stabbed him. He was also panting and all his muscles were starting to ache.

"_What is happening?"_ Naruto thought. _"I shouldn't be this tired already. We just started battling. Why is my chakra so low?"_

The answer came through his Sage Mode. Naruto sensed his own chakra leaving his body and moving towards something behind Sasuke. There was a… _thing_ invisible on Sasuke's back and it was draining his chakra! Just like the other adults had been. Now Naruto understood how the changed children had done it.

Sasuke noticed his fatigue and grinned. The being given to him by Nobunaga was doing its job flawlessly, taking Naruto's chakra and weakening him. Everything was going perfectly. He was finally getting Naruto back for all the pain and hurt, for all the lies and betrayal that he made him go through.

And he loved it.

Naruto's Sage Mode ended and his eyes returned to normal. It was getting harder to breathe now and his head was beginning to hurt, but he had still been capable of noticing that his stolen chakra was not just being taken by the invisible thing in Sasuke's back. His chakra and everybody else's, including the people in the death state, was being guided by the creatures on the children's backs to somewhere in the sea. An island where was the one responsible for all this.

"You seem a little tired, Naruto" Sasuke taunted with a conceited smirk, feeling much stronger and smarter than this pitiful man he had once idolized. "What a shame. I expected more from the almighty savior of the Shinobi world. I guess you're just another loser."

Naruto couldn't help but notice that Sasuke was calling him by his first name, like they weren't related at all. The raven seemed so angry and egotistical… he seemed to hate him so much. And it hurt. It hurt because Naruto knew it was his fault. He was the one who made Sasuke miserable because he wasn't attentive like a parent should be.

He had screwed up… like always.

"I bet you wish your _**precious**_ rival was here to watch your back, like in the good old days" Sasuke spat, each word poisoned with envy. "You should never have left him or your team. Keeping me was a mistake if you wanted him all along."

"No! It was never a mistake, Sasuke!" Naruto said. His head was spinning, but he still tried to make Sasuke understand. "I never regretted keeping you."

Sasuke frowned and glared at the blond. "I told you to stop with the lying."

"I'm sorry I made you sad when I told you those stories" Naruto went on, walking towards the mad raven man. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't know you were upset."

"It's too late for apologies. You _**should**_ have realized how I felt. A _**real**_ parent would have!"

The thorns around Naruto's heart got even tighter.

"At least I've finally opened my eyes" Sasuke yelled. "It all comes down to the same thing... the one you care about is your best friend. I don't matter and I never did. You kept me out of pity or because you wanted to be the hero one more time, not because you loved me."

"It wasn't out of pity and I wasn't trying to be the hero! Why aren't you listening to me?"

"Because I don't want to hear anymore of your bullshit" Sasuke cried, clenching his pale fists. "I don't want you to tell me that you love me, because I know that's a fucking lie. I will never measure up to your rival. You'd choose him over me in a heartbeat… No, you already have. I'm just the second choice!"

"There is no choice!" Naruto yelled. "You got it all wrong, son…"

"I'M NOT YOUR SON!" Sasuke shouted, watching the blond man quiver in distress. "I was never your son! We were never a family. This whole thing was just a sham."

If possible Naruto paled even more. "Don't… don't say that…"

"Why not? It's the truth! We're two people connected by a kinjutsu and that's it! Everything else was a charade."

"No, it wasn't. You can't believe that!" Naruto pleaded, each word filled with grief. "Not after everything we went through."

"I do believe it. You should be happy; I'm freeing you from your burden. You won't have to look after me ever again" the raven answered, glad to be hurting Naruto as much as he had hurt him. "And you know what? I don't want to be your _"son"_. You're a lousy father anyway."

Even though Naruto's body ached all over, it didn't come even close to the pain of hearing those words. His mouth opened, but he couldn't speak. There was nothing he could say. Sasuke… was right.

"I don't want this fucking fake family" Sasuke went on with disgust. "I wish I hadn't chosen you. I'd be better off in some orphanage."

Naruto lowered his gaze, his eyes brimming with tears of anguish. Still, Sasuke continued to torment him mercilessly, blinded by his own wrath and resentment.

"You're a horrible parent! Who wouldn't want to be your child? You're an eyesore and an embarrassment. I regret every single second I spent together with you!"

Wasting no more time, Sasuke grabbed his sword and jumped.

The blond felt dizzy but he was still able to retreat. Nonetheless, he wasn't fast enough and Sasuke's crystal sword pierced the right side of his abdomen.

"Urgh!" Naruto moaned as the pain made him bend over. He put his hands on the wound to try to stop the bleeding and he realized something odd was happening. There were tiny violet crystals growing slowly around the cut, invading his wound.

Before he could understand what was happening, Naruto felt two powerful hands grab him by his arms, crushing them against his body and preventing him from moving. His head was hurting almost as bad as his wound, he couldn't think straight anymore. All he knew was that he was feeling weaker by the second and that Sasuke was staring back at him with a victory smile on his lips.

"_Am I dying?"_ Naruto didn't know if he was talking or thinking. _"I feel like… I'm dying. Sasuke… you don't even care. Were the last seven years meaningless to you? Was I really that terrible as a parent?"_

The being on Sasuke's back became visible. Its yellow eyes shone greedily as it absorbed more of Naruto's chakra and transmitted it to the main crystal on the Children's Island.

Despite his faintness, Naruto had been able to notice that whoever was taking their chakra wouldn't do it eternally. It would have to stop once it got enough, however, some of the islanders would die if their chakra kept being drained.

"Is that all you got?" Sasuke taunted, looking at the wounded man he had called father with no hint of remorse. "I thought you'd be stronger, but you're nothing but a pathetic wimp."

The creature's hands clenched Naruto harder, causing his ribs to break and puncture his lung.

"Don't… let him… control you" Naruto whispered, his face twisted with pain. When he coughed, blood came out.

"_Control me?_ What the hell are you saying?"

"That person… he didn't just give you… power… he's using you… your rage against me."

Sasuke glared at him and the hands lifted Naruto into the air. "No one is using me. I'm the one using that guy's power, not the other way around."

"You have to fight him…" Naruto continued. "You have to break free from him… or else you'll lose yourself…"

"Shut up! You think you can fool me with something like that?"

The creature started draining Naruto's chakra very quickly now. The blond screamed in anguish and his limbs became completely numb. He was going to faint and soon, but not before he could do something.

"_**Don't! Don't you dare, Naruto!"**_ the giant Nine-Tailed Fox groaned from Naruto's consciousness.

"_I need to do this"_ Naruto answered. _"It's the only way."_

"_**You'll end up like all the others! You will never wake up, and for what? That ungrateful, power hungry, egocentric Uchiha brat?"**_

"_I'm sorry, Kurama." _

Suddenly, Naruto's body shone like a yellow fire as he entered in Kyuubi Mode. The creature became ravenous and absorbed the chakra even quicker.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked, looking surprised for the first time. "You're giving it your chakra _voluntarily_? Are you really that stupid?"

Naruto's head was spinning and his vision blurred. He didn't know if it was because he was about to faint or because he was crying. Maybe it was both.

When he looked at Sasuke's angry features, Naruto saw him as the son he had raised then as his teammate and best friend. The images, the boys, past and present, were overlapping in his increasing confused mind.

"It's always like this. Isn't it, Sasuke?" Naruto whispered with glassy eyes. He didn't even realize that he was talking aloud. "No matter how many times I try… you never understand me…"

Sasuke blinked. "What are you on about?"

"All I wanted… was for you to acknowledge me" Naruto continued, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I wanted you to see that I was strong… so you'd respect me."

The raven's eyes widened, confused. What was Naruto talking about? Was this some kind of trick? Why would he want Sasuke to acknowledge him? He was the strongest ninja in the world; he didn't need his respect when everyone else already did.

"What are you babbling, usuratonkachi? You're not making any sense."

Sasuke could only watch in confusion as the creature sucked most of Naruto's chakra and he returned to normal, losing the Kyuubi's chakra.

"All I ever wanted…" Naruto whispered feebly. "…was to save my best friend."

Sasuke's red eyes flashed, hot with fury and jealously. "_**Him**_ again! You really can't think of anyone else but him, can you?"

The creature was practically full with Naruto's chakra. The blond man was about to lose his consciousness, he couldn't even understand what Sasuke was saying. All he knew was that Sasuke was there yelling at him and that he hated him. He didn't have to hear his words. Sasuke's eyes were crystal clear.

"I've had it!" the raven screamed. "It's time to end your pathetic little life. One day, you'll meet your beloved best friend in hell!"

The creature had virtually no more chakra to absorb, so Sasuke made it throw the motionless body of the blond Jinchuriki into the ground like trash. Naruto barely felt anything.

Sasuke summoned his crystal sword and walked towards Naruto with murder in his red eyes. He was about to strike the blond down, when he saw something white at his feet, a piece of paper.

He was going to ignore it but he noticed what was written at the top: _Team 7. _It wasn't a paper, it was a photo. A photo of his team that Naruto carried around.

Angrily, Sasuke grabbed the photo, ready to shred it into pieces before finishing Naruto off. His pale hands were about to rip it, when he saw the team photo.

In a blink, the wrath in his eyes was replaced with shock and confusion. He grabbed the picture with both hands and stared at it attentively. Three kids, two boys and a girl, were in front of a white haired, masked man who was holding the two boys by their heads. Both boys were glaring at each other. One of them was blond and dressed in an ugly orange jumpsuit, he had blue eyes and whisker marks on his cheeks. The other one had black eyes and spiky raven hair, dressed with a high collared blue shirt.

Sasuke was staring back at his own face.

"Who…? Who is this?" the raven asked, suddenly feeling anxious. "He's… just like me. He looks just like me. How…?"

The blond boy, he was certain that it was a much younger Naruto, which meant that the other was his teammate and rival.

"No… it can't…" Sasuke stammered. His hands were shaking as he turned the picture to read what was on its back.

_Team 7_

_Jōnin Hatake Kakashi_

_Genin: Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke_

_Sasuke…_

That was his name, _Sasuke_. Naruto's rival was also named Sasuke. He had his face, his hair, his eyes…

The memory came from a deep place in his heart. It was vague because it had happened so long ago, but he could remember. The photo had triggered it.

* * *

_"Papa?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Why you called me Sasuke?"_

_Naruto turned his head slightly to stare at the child. "Don't you like your name?"_

_"I like it... but I wanna know why you chose **that** name."_

_"Your name... is a memento."_

_"Me... Memento? What's that?"_

_"It's something that reminds us of someone special. Your name is a memento of a friend of mine."_

_Sasuke blinked and lifted his head slightly._

_"A friend?" the child asked._

_"Yeah..." Naruto replied with a wistful smile._

_"How is your friend like? Is he cool? "_

_"Very cool!"_

_"And I'm like him?" the child asked, excited._

_"Yes, very alike. In a few years you'll be as cool as he was. "_

* * *

His name wasn't just a memento. He had kept his name. It was him. The pre-teen in the photo was his past self.

"This guy… your rival… it was me?" Sasuke asked, lifting his red eyes to the fallen Naruto, who was barely awake.

Naruto was awfully pale. His lips were turning blue and he was breathing oddly. "I wanted things to be different this time… I… I knew I couldn't do it… I knew I'd screw up. But I had to try, because… you were always my best friend. I… love you… why didn't you understand?"

Sasuke's Sharingan vanished and he quivered at Naruto's words.

"_**He was the person I admired most. He was my idol, my inspiration... I wanted to talk to him. I wanted us to be friends. But it wasn't that simple, because he was so perfect in everything and I wasn't. That's why I turned him into my rival and I became convinced that I hated him. I couldn't believe when they said we were on the same team. That we were going to be teammates."**_

"_**The more time we spend together, the closer we became. It was fun to be with him. Without even noticing, we became friends. It is a very special bond. "**_

Drops of sweat were running through Sasuke's face as he gasped for air. His chest was aching and his eyes were wide with horror.

_**"His best friend" Shikamaru said with a small chuckle. "Naruto would do anything for that guy; even give up his dream of being Hokage to save him. Damn, he would give his life for him if he had the chance."**_

Sasuke looked at his crystal sword, still stained with Naruto's blood. With a horrified gaze, he dropped it to ground, where it shattered into pieces.

Every time Naruto talked about his rival, every moment he seemed so happy to remember his best friend, he had been talking about Sasuke all along.

In his first life he had been Naruto's best friend.

_**"Then why you keep talking about him? Why can't you just forget him?"**_

_**"Because… because I can't, Sasuke."**_

Of course Naruto couldn't forget. He couldn't forget his best friend, because he was right there in front of him.

"_**I don't want you to tell me that you love me, because I know that's a fucking lie. I will never measure up to your rival. You'd choose him over me in a heartbeat… No, you already have. I'm just the second choice!"**_

"_**There is no choice!" Naruto yelled. "You got it all wrong, son…"**_

There had been no choice. Naruto didn't have to choose between Sasuke and his rival. They were the same person.

Naruto's amazing rival, his beloved best friend, the ninja he admired the most, whose bond was stronger than anyone else's… it was Sasuke.

Naruto had been talking about him all this time. Sasuke had misunderstood everything.

His knees were shaking and he placed a hand on his chest. The reality of what he had done was finally sinking in.

"What have I done?" he whimpered very faintly.

"_**He deserved it. What does it matter that I was his best friend?"**_ the same voice he heard on the cave said, cold and ruthless.

Sasuke grabbed his head with both hands. His heart pounded in his ears and his knees gave away.

"Stop it!" he groaned in pain.

"_**He never told me the truth, probably because he liked being the stronger one now. He wanted to humiliate me by pretending to be my father!"**_

Sasuke tried to push the voice away, but he couldn't. That's when he realized the truth.

"_It's not me. I'm not the one thinking! You're that guy… it was you all along!"_

The voice was silenced but its presence became stronger. It was trying to take over Sasuke's mind completely now, since manipulating him wasn't going to work anymore.

Naruto had been right.

The being on his back roared and his eyes were focused on Sasuke. Its purple aura surrounded the raven man, forcing him into to submission.

Almost blindly, Sasuke stretched his hand and felt the ground until his finger found what he was looking for.

A piece of the shattered crystal sword.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Sasuke screamed, stabbing the creature right in its face.

The evil being screeched in agony, its deformed hands waving in the air before exploding. Sasuke fell to the ground and gasped for air. His head was still hurting, but it seemed like a huge weight had been lifted from his mind. It was easier to think now, his head was clearer.

"Sasuke…"

Slowly, the raven looked up and his lips quivered. Without his rage and hatred to blind him, he was horrified by the extension of Naruto's injuries.

No, not Naruto…

"Tou-chan?" he whimpered, getting up and running towards the fallen man. "Tou-chan! Tou-chan!"

Carefully not to hurt him even more, Sasuke hugged his father, pushing his head against his chest. It was easy since they were about the same height now.

Naruto's blue eyes were blurred with pain and tears. His face was as white as a sheet and there was blood running from his mouth, dripping to his chin and chest. Sasuke touched something warm and wet and stared at his hand. It was blood from the wound he had inflicted on his Dad's abdomen.

"Daddy…" Sasuke moaned, holding his father closer to his chest. "I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry…"

Naruto could barely feel anything, but he tried to lift his head when something wet fell on his face. It was tears. Sasuke was crying.

"You're… you're going to be alright, Tou-chan" Sasuke said, his voice almost choked by his sobs. "I'll get help. I'll take you a doctor and you'll be fine… I promise. I'll save you, I promise!"

Naruto could only hear bits and pieces of what Sasuke was saying. He didn't want Sasuke to cry. Why was he crying? Did he make him cry? He tried to move his hand to touch him but he couldn't move it.

He felt tired. He felt so tired.

"Don't cry, Sasuke." Naruto said feebly. "I'm sorry… I wasn't a good dad."

Sasuke's tearful eyes widened and he shook his head vigorously. "No… that's not true."

"I wanted to be a good dad… I wanted you to be happy" Naruto continued with a sad smile.

"I… I know. Please don't talk. I'm going to get help" Sasuke whimpered. Naruto's eyes were closing; he couldn't be awake any longer. "No! Daddy, don't close your eyes! Don't fall asleep! You'll never awake up again!"

Naruto just smiled again. "I'm sorry I wasn't good enough."

Despite Sasuke's desperate cries, Naruto closed his eyes as a single tear ran down his cheek and he fell into darkness. He was already unconscious when Sasuke held him close to his body and screamed for him to come back.

* * *

**_Catch me as I fall_**  
**_Say you're here and it's all over now_**  
**_Speaking to the atmosphere_**  
**_No one's here and I fall into myself_**

**_This truth drives me into madness_**  
**_I know I can stop the pain_**  
**_If I will it all away_**  
**_If I will it all away_**

**_Don't turn away_**  
**_(Don't give in to the pain)_**  
**_Don't try to hide_**  
**_(Though they're screaming your name)_**  
**_Don't close your eyes_**  
**_(God knows what lies behind them)_**  
**_Don't turn out the light_**  
**_(Never sleep, never die)_**

**Whisper, by Evanescence**

* * *

**I named the title after this song because, in the end, I couldn't take it out of my mind. The idea of a Sleeping Death... But Naruto isn't dead! He's in a death state like all the others!**

**Sasuke broke free from Nobunaga's control, but he still has his adult body and mind. He's on his own now.**

**I really hope you liked it! See ya next time!**


	51. Fatherhood

**Hi there! This is the first time I try to write video tape footage, so forgive me if it came out weird. **

**Adult Riku is voiced by Mamoru Miyano (Kiba from _Wolf's Rain_; Light Yagami from _Death Note; _Zero from _Vampire Knight_ and Death the Kid from _Soul Eater_) if you want to "hear" him Japanese on this fic. **

**In the English version, he is voiced by ****David Gallagher, best known for his role as Simon Camden on the television series **_**7th Heaven**_.

* * *

**Fatherhood**

父権 _(Fuken)_

_Uzumaki Naruto was falling, that was all he knew._

_Everything around him was dark, like a night sky without stars. He didn't know where he was or how he got there but, somehow, that didn't matter. He knew he was going away from a very painful place._

_His heart was hurting. He just wanted the pain to stop._

_As he fell he closed his eyes, it was the same whether he kept them open or not. He was too tired to fight the darkness._

* * *

"Tou-chan! Tou-chan, open your eyes!" Sasuke screamed as he held Naruto's comatose body. "Open your eyes! I'm begging you… please… just open your eyes…"

Naruto remained motionless no matter how hard Sasuke shook him or yelled. His skin was ghostly pale and cold like a corpse's. Like all the other victims of Nobunaga's curse, his heart beat and breathing were so faint that he seemed dead.

Sasuke pulled the blond man's head against his shoulder and hugged him tightly, as if trying to pass his heat into his body and take back what he had done and all the horrible things he said.

Sasuke had injured, taunted and said hateful things to Naruto. And still, before he lost consciousness, his Dad was more concerned about him. Naruto was smiling and apologizing until the very end.

"Please… let me do it all over again" the raven moaned desperately. "Give me a chance to take that all back. I promise I won't hurt you! I promise! So please… just open your eyes, Papa. Don't leave me all alone."

Sasuke knew that it was useless. No matter what he did, Naruto wasn't going to wake up. He was already in the Sleep of Death because Sasuke had drained his chakra and life force and given it to Nobunaga to pay for the power he had received.

He had dumped his father like trash… for power.

"_I'm a monster"_ Sasuke thought, feeling his guilt and shame shred his heart into pieces.

The raven opened his watery eyes and saw the blood dripping from Naruto's wound to the ground. He needed to do something and quick. Standing there and weep wasn't going to solve anything. His father wasn't going to come and make everything better this time. Sasuke was on his own.

"It's going to be ok, Tou-chan" Sasuke said, carefully placing the blond man on his back and walking to the mansion. "It's going to be ok."

The raven man kept repeating it like a mantra to help him believe it. He ran to their house and up the stairs until he got to Naruto's bedroom. After placing the unconscious man in his already unmade bed, Sasuke ran to their shared bathroom and bought back the medical kit. His adult mind seemed to already know what to do, although he had never learned how to take care of somebody wounded before. Cautiously, Sasuke cleaned all of Naruto's injuries and put bandages on them.

He was astonished when he finished cleaning the cut on his abdomen; it was completely covered by small violet crystals, like his sword. The raven tried to remove them, but gave up, fearing to rip off his Dad's skin. Besides, the crystals were working like a bandage and preventing a hemorrhage.

After moving his broken ribs and bandaging his torso, Sasuke covered Naruto with several blankets to prevent him front getting even colder. Nevertheless, nothing seemed to work and there was nothing more he could do to help him.

With a whimper, Sasuke's knees gave away and he fell to the floor. He stared at his big hands and long fingers. The hands of a fully adult, strong and smart enough to live on his own and become an incredibly powerful shinobi. Those were the hands that had destroyed his family because he was nothing but a spiteful, power hungry monster, too blind by his own hatred and selfishness to see the truth.

He had always known. At some level, deep in his subconscious, Sasuke had always known that he and Naruto shared a very strong bond. He knew he had known Naruto before. But he had no idea they had been teammates, let alone best friends and rivals.

Sasuke took the Team photo from his pocket and stared at the rival… at _himself_ again. He had hated that guy for so long. He thought that person was going to take Naruto from him and his heart ached every time the blond talked about him with such love in his voice.

Now he understood. His dad was talking to him about his past self and their adventures together. He had been telling Sasuke about their friendship.

"Why didn't you tell me? I didn't know…" Sasuke asked, thick tears blurring his vision and dropping on the photo. "I… I thought you resented being with me. I thought you wanted to be with somebody else, and it hurt so much because… because… I want to be the one you love the most."

Naruto didn't answer, as expected. However, Sasuke hoped he could hear him somehow and know how remorseful he felt.

"It must have been so weird for you. To take care of your rival and have to raise him like a normal baby" Sasuke went on, lowering his black eyes away from Naruto's unconscious body in shame. "I guess you missed him… the _**old me**_, huh? The one who was your idol and cool, not some… snotty brat."

There was something Sasuke couldn't understand. Why didn't Naruto tell him who he really was from the beginning? Why didn't he tell him everything so they could just start their friendship where they left off? Even if the raven couldn't remember, Naruto could have told him about his life and Sasuke would be able to grow into the person Naruto remembered and loved. There was no need for the adoption. Anyone could have taken care of Sasuke, so why Naruto of all people?

Now that Sasuke was also older, he realized how young Naruto had been at the time. Barely seventeen years old! He had been a kid himself. Taking care of an infant, let alone adopt one, must have been a terrible burden.

"It must have been painful that I couldn't remember you as my teammate." Sasuke whispered. "You didn't have to be my parent, if you didn't want to."

Something that was under the blankets slipped and fell to the floor, startling the raven. After realizing that they were alone in the bedroom, Sasuke stood up and walked around the bed until he found a heavy book with a ridiculous drawing of a baby on its cover.

Frowning, Sasuke looked at Naruto, wondering why he had such a book with him and why was he reading it. But, as he opened it, his eyes widened.

They were photos. Dozens of photos of Sasuke as a baby in Mount Myōboku, in every position possible: sleeping, awake, eating, playing with his toys, playing with Gama-chan, crawling in the leaving room or just staring at the camera. Then, there were photos of him with the frogs and, the majority of them, with Naruto. When Sasuke wasn't sleeping, they were both smiling.

Naruto seemed so happy, hugging the baby that was his rival close to his chest.

"Why were you smiling?" Sasuke asked, glancing at the sleeping blond. "Your best friend didn't remember you anymore. He… _**I **_was just a normal baby and I couldn't be your teammate again for at least ten years or more. So why were you so happy? Why did you decide to keep me when it was so painful?"

The raven noticed that there was something else on the ground. It was something black, under the bed.

"_A video tape?"_ the raven thought as he grabbed the object. There was nothing written on it and Sasuke didn't remember ever seeing the tape.

Naruto had placed both the photo album and the video tape on his bed before he went out earlier. But… why?

Without thinking, Sasuke got up and opened another closet, revealing a full TV set and a video recorder, both covered with dust for not having been used for so long but still functional. The raven put the tape on the recorder, turned on the TV and waited until the first footage appeared.

* * *

"_Gamatatsu! Be careful with that!" Gamakichi groaned at the shaking camera. _

"_I'm being careful, Nii-chan" Gamatatsu answered, unseen. _

"_Don't you break that camera, Naruto would kill us. And stand still! You're shaking too much!"_

"_I'm trying, but it's harder than it looks."_

_Gamakichi sighed. "Ok… Let's start this. Press the red button to start recording."_

"_Ah… I already did, Nii-chan…"_

"_What? You're shooting already? I told you only to start when I said so! Now, wait a minute… were you trying to film me while I was behind the leaves?"_

"_Ah… No… Of course not…" Gamatatsu stammered, not convincing at all._

"_YOU FREAKING MORON! GIVE ME THAT CAMERA!" Gamakichi yelled, jumping towards his brother and shaking the image while they fought for the camera. "WAIT UNTIL THE OLD MAN KNOWS ABOUT THIS! YOU'RE SO DEAD, YOU IDIOTIC SON OF A BI…"_

* * *

The image disappeared, replaced by snow and static electricity. Sasuke was about to turn off the TV when a recording reappeared and he saw a black haired baby sitting on a colored blanket, surrounded by toys and holding Gama-chan on his chubby hands. It was Sasuke, not even a year old. But that wasn't what shocked the adult raven.

What made him gape in bafflement was what written on his dark-blue shirt.

"'_Back off, I'm pooping'_?" Sasuke exclaimed, blushing as the camera zoomed on the shirt. "What the fuck is with that shirt?"

* * *

"_Hey, Sasuke! Say _hi_ to the camera!" Gamakichi's voice was heard._

_The baby looked up from his toys and blinked innocently, probably wondering what the orange frog was doing._

"_C'mon, kid! You're gonna watch this when you're older, so do something funny for posterity. Say _hi_!"_

"_Gaaahh… Gaamaah…" Sasuke gurgled, shaking Gama-chan happily on his lap._

"_Yeah… that's a frog, alright. But, can you say _hi_?"_

"_Byaaah… bai…"_

"_No. Not _bye_. Say _hi_!" Gamakichi moved closer to the baby. "C'mon, Sasuke. Do something!" Sasuke dropped his stuffed frog and stretched his arms towards the camera. "Hey! No! I didn't say to __**eat**__ the camera! Bad baby! Let go!" _

"_Eoooh…" the child whimpered with his big onyx eyes brimming with tears, still trying to reach the camera with his tiny arms. "Ouuuu… waaah…"_

"_Ah… no! Don't start crying now… Ah? Naruto! Naruto, get in here!"_

"_What?"_

_After the sound of a few footsteps, the camera focused on a teen Naruto, dressed with a white shirt and orange pants._

* * *

Sasuke blinked as the blond entered the room. He looked so different from the man he was now. Back then, he actually looked like a kid, his voice was a lot higher, he had a round face and his arms were scrawny. And his hair… it was so short.

Sasuke already knew that Naruto had his hair short when he was younger, mostly because of the family picture he kept in his bedside table. Still, he wasn't used to actually see him with that haircut. He wasn't prepared to see him look so young and childlike.

The Naruto he knew had always been big, towering over Sasuke and always ready to protect him from harm. The raven smiled at these comforting feelings, until he remembered that he probably shouldn't feel that way for his teammate.

Somehow, that made his chest hurt a little.

* * *

"_What do want Gamakichi? And what are doing with my camera?" Naruto cried out in exasperation. "That thing is rented! If you break it…"_

"_I'm not. Don't worry about it" the frog answered, focusing the camera on the whimpering baby again. "I was just filming Sasuke, but he keeps trying to grab the camera and now he's about to cry. Do something! Make him do something funny!"_

_Naruto sighed and grimaced. "Sasuke is not a toy! I can't make him do anything he doesn't want to. Geez…" the blond teen kneeled in front of the baby and waved his hands. "Sasuke!"_

_The moment Sasuke noticed Naruto, his whimpers stopped and he stared at the blond in awe. A tear ran through his rosy cheek but he didn't look upset anymore. _

"_Paaah… Papa!" the baby said clearly. "Papa! Papa!"_

"_Sure… Can't say _hi_, but he calls for you perfectly" Gamakichi mumbled._

* * *

Sasuke was expecting Naruto to look troubled and awkward. Maybe even smile sadly at how low his best friend had fallen and play along with the baby's need of a father figure.

He wasn't ready to see Naruto open his arms and smile so tenderly at his baby self. Like… he really was his beloved child.

* * *

"_Come here, Sasuke!" Naruto said happily. "You can do it! Come here!"_

_Sasuke smiled too and started crawling towards Naruto's waiting arms. The moment the baby reached the blonds' lap, he grabbed his white shirt and buried his tiny face on his belly, while Naruto rubbed his back._

"_Papa! Papa!" the child giggled, happy to be with his Daddy. _

"_That's my boy!" Naruto exclaimed, standing up and holding Sasuke in his arms, facing him. "Papa is very proud of you."_

* * *

"You… liked me?" Sasuke whispered in disbelief. "How could you… like me that way?"

The raven couldn't understand. Sure, Naruto was the kind of person who would love his best friend regardless of the way he looked or acted. Naruto would still be his friend even if Sasuke had amnesia, but… did he actually accept the baby Sasuke had become? Did he love him as the baby? Did Naruto really start to think of Sasuke as more than his transformed best friend?

Did Naruto love Sasuke as his… _**child**_?

* * *

_The blond teenager pressed the baby's head against his shoulder and started walking out of Sasuke's baby bedroom. The camera followed them into Fukasaku's living room, where Naruto sat at the small table with Sasuke still on his arms. _

"_Hey! I know what you can shoot!" the blond boy cheerfully exclaimed, placing Sasuke on the floor._

"_Baaah…" the child moaned, disappointed that Naruto had let him go. "Gaah… Yaaah…" _

_Naruto smiled at the camera, stood up, walked to the opposite side of the small leaving room table and sat on the floor again. Sasuke, sitting on the floor, couldn't see Naruto anymore. His eyes widened in fright as he looked from side to side, looking for him._

"_Papa? Papa?"_

_The baby got on all fours and crawled to each side of the table, yet he couldn't see his father and was starting to fuss. _

"_Papaaa…"_

_Naruto leaned over the table, slightly above Sasuke's head. "I'm here. I'm still here, Sasuke."_

_Sasuke looked up, his eyes showing both hope and confusion. "Papa?"_

"_I'm right here" Naruto repeated. "Your Tou-chan is here. I know you can find me."_

"_Naruto… that's mean. He can't see you and he can't go look for you!" Gamakichi said, focusing the camera on the blond. "He's getting scared, he's going to cry."_

_Naruto shook his head. "He won't give up that easily. Watch!"_

_The camera was once more focused on Sasuke. The baby was still looking up, but his eyes couldn't see what was above the table. Suddenly, the raven haired child stretched his right arm to the table, then his left. Frowning with the effort, Sasuke was able to slowly pull himself up, his small feet trembling from the effort._

"_No way! He's standing!" Gamakichi yelled, excited. "He's actually standing!"_

_Naruto smiled kindly and looked at Sasuke. The moment the baby saw the blond teenager, his eyes light up with genuine happiness and he raised his arms in Naruto's direction._

"_Papa! Faiaaih... yaaa! Papa!"_

"_That's right, you found me" Naruto said, picking up the cheerful baby and staring at him with a grim. "You're the most awesome baby in the whole wide world!"_

"_How did you know he'd do that?" Gamakichi asked._

"_He started doing it last night and I knew he could do it now" the blond answered as Sasuke buried his face in his shoulder, cooing softly. _

"_I guess you should know. You're his parent after all."_

_Naruto blinked, as if he wasn't used to that idea. Then, slowly but surely, he smiled tenderly at Sasuke. "Yeah… I am."_

_The baby looked up and raised his right hand towards Naruto's bright blond hair, grabbing a few strands between his tiny fingers and stroking them. His eyes wide with wonder._

"_Yo, Naruto? What's with all the paperwork on the table?" Gamakichi asked, filming a pile of papers. _

"_Oh… Tsunade Baa-chan sent them today" Naruto answered, patting the baby's back as he continued playing with his blond hair. "They're Sasuke's official new documents and his birth certificate. I need to sign them."_

"_Why you?"_

"_Because he's going to have my surname" the blond said, blushing. "I can't believe this… After I sign this, he's going to be an Uzumaki and I'm gonna be like his real Dad" Naruto grinned and blushed, cuddling Sasuke to his chest. "Look at me! I'm a Dad!"_

* * *

The footage stopped abruptly. After a few seconds of snow and noise, something big and yellow covered the entire screen.

* * *

"…_out of there!" Gamakichi's voice said._

"_Huh?"_

"_You're sitting on the camera, idiot! Gamatatsu, get your ass out of there!"_

"_Oh? Sorry" the younger toad said, as the image showed Gamakichi frowning and Gamatatsu joining him._

_Neither of the brothers realized that the camera was recording._

"_I hope you didn't break it" the orange frog said._

"_I didn't. It still looks good."_

"_Well… if Naruto comes yelling, you'll be the one in trouble."_

_The two brothers jumped out the window and disappeared. However, the camera kept filming Fukasaku's living room at sunset for about two minutes. Then, the sound of a door was heard and Naruto reappeared on the footage and sat by the open window._

_Thirty seconds later, he buried his face in his hands and wept._

* * *

"Huh? What happened?" Sasuke asked the TV, restlessly. "What's going on?"

* * *

_For a few horrible minutes, only Naruto could be seen and heard on the footage. The young man was crying and sobbing but managed to calm himself down and cleaned his tears with the back of his hand._

"_Naruto-chan…"_

_Fukasaku jumped towards the blond teen and stared at him with a sad face._

"_I can't do this, Jii-chan Sennin" Naruto said. "I just can't…"_

"_Don't say that. It was just an accident" the old frog reassured him. "Sasuke-chan is going to be alright."_

_Naruto shook his head. "He fell from the sofa. He hit his head and… he was bleeding. I wasn't watching him as I should! All I did was turn my back for one second and he…"_

"_It's just a bump and a small cut. He's fine now. All he needed was a band aid."_

"_That's not the point!" Naruto cried out, looking terribly shaken and guilty. "I screwed up. This wasn't the first time I screwed up either. Sasuke almost died when that house collapsed a month ago because I left him all alone."_

"_Naruto-chan… you're being too hard on yourself" Fukasaku said softly. _

"_I keep making these stupid mistakes" Naruto went on, tears falling down his face. "I… I can't look after him. Look at me! What was I thinking? I'm not a real father. I have no clue of what I'm doing."_

_The old frog shook his head._

"_You're still learning and you're doing your best. That's all that matters."_

"_No, it's not. Sasuke needs a **real** family. He needs a **real father** that can look out for him" Naruto lowered his head. His blue eyes reflected every bit of his grief. "I'm not good enough. I can't be his Tou-chan."_

"_So you want to give him up? Is that what you're saying?" Fukasaku asked angrily. _

"_No! That's not it!" Naruto stood up, his voice resolute. "I don't want to give him up!"_

"_You don't want to be his father because it's too hard? You don't love him enough?"_

"_NO! That's not true! I love him! I love Sasuke! I love him… like a son. He was my teammate and my friend and I loved him before like a brother, but now… I look at him and I see my son" the blond placed a hand on his chest. "I love my son. I love him so much."_

"_Then why are you saying you can't raise him?"_

_Naruto sat down again and looked at the setting sun. "Because… I'm a lousy Dad. I keep messing up and making Sasuke suffer. I don't want him to suffer; I want him to be happy. If I raise him... he's going to grow up miserable" the teenager lowered his eyes. "He's going to hate me."_

"_He won't hate you, Naruto-chan. How can he when you love him so much? He'll know, even when things are really bad, that you love him and you did your best for him. You don't need to be perfect. You just need to follow your heart."_

"_But… I want Sasuke to grow up happy. He needs a good father" Naruto said. "I don't know… how to **be** a father." _

_Fukasaku stared at the blond for a few seconds. "Naruto-chan… why are you so scared? What are you afraid of? _

_Naruto lowered his head and stared at his tanned hands, his eyes still brimming with tears._

"_I'm afraid… Sasuke will resent me someday because I decided to raise him myself" Naruto said softly, looking very lonely. "I'm scared that, one day, he is going to regret having chosen me to be his parent once he realizes that I don't know anything. I mean… look at him! He was the class genius and he was perfect at all he did! While I…" the blond boy shook his head. "I don't want him to end up hating me for ruining his life because I wasn't good enough. I'm afraid he'll tell me that… he doesn't want me to be his father."_

* * *

Sasuke felt his hands trembling alongside his legs. A stream of tears was running down his cheeks.

* * *

"_Naruto-chan…" Fukasaku sighed. "You already are his father and there's nothing that can change that. Sure, you'll make mistakes and you'll learn from them. It's time for you to grow. Meanwhile, you already forged a new bond with Sasuke-chan. A bond between a parent and his child and, knowing you, I'm sure it will only grow stronger."_

_Naruto looked at the old Sennin, confusion apparent in his wide blue eyes. "Why do you say that?"_

"_You are torn because you want your son to have the best family and you're worried you won't be enough" the old frog smiled broadly. "That… is fatherhood."_

_Naruto didn't say anything and, for the following seconds, he just stared at the old frog, looking confused and surprised by his words. The silence was finally interrupted by someone screaming his heart out, the sound getting closer and closer._

"_There you are!" Shima said, holding a crying, earsplitting Sasuke with her long tongue. "I've been looking for you all over the house. He woke a while ago and I can't calm him down."_

_Naruto looked at Sasuke but didn't dare to move from where he was. On the other hand, Fukasaku decided to question his wife about the child. "Are you sure Sasuke-chan isn't just wet?"_

"_Of course I'm sure. I've checked his diaper already and I don't think he's hungry. I don't know how to make him stop, I've tried everything. I don't know what he wants!"_

_The baby kept weeping and trying to break free from Shima's grasp. Once he opened his eyes and spotted Naruto's unmistakable blond hair, the baby raised his arms in his direction for him to pick him up._

"_Oh? I guess we found out what he wants" Fukasaku said with a grim. "Right, Naruto-chan?"_

_Slowly, Naruto rose from his chair and l walked towards Sasuke. The moment he became reachable, the raven baby almost jumped from Shima's tongue to Naruto's chest, placing his arms firmly around his neck and moaned softly against his shoulder. _

_Little by little, Sasuke stopped weeping and started cooing. Once again, he began playing with Naruto's bright blond hair while the latter finally smiled tenderly and leaned his face against the baby's head._

"_I think we should leave these two alone, Kaa-chan" Fukasaku said._

"_I agree" Shima answered. "Besides, I need to make dinner. See you later, Naruto-chan."_

_After both frogs left the room, Naruto sat on the floor with his back to the wall. With his left hand, the blond cuddled the baby to his chest, and with his right, he rubbed his little back. Then, he moved Sasuke's head so he could look at his face. On the baby's forehead, there was a small band aid, which Naruto gently rubbed._

"_Does it still hurt? Were you crying because it hurt?"_

"_Eeeeh…" Sasuke gurgled in response, smiling while he touched Naruto's cheeks with his small fingers. When a single tear ran down the blonds' face, the child blinked, as if confused. He quickly wiped the tear with his fingers before putting his hand in his mouth, drinking Naruto's sorrow._

"_I'm sorry, Sasuke. I… _**Daddy**_ is sorry you fell from the couch and got hurt" Naruto said, still smiling lovingly at the baby boy. "You know… I'm still learning how to do this. I'm learning so I can be a good Daddy but I screw up sometimes… like today, and you got hurt."_

_Sasuke raised both his hands and cleaned Naruto's remaining tears. Then, seeing his father smiling, the baby giggled and his fingers flew all over his face, trying to know every detail of Naruto's face. _

"_I'll try harder. Promise" Naruto continued. "I'll grow up into a cool adult so you can be proud of your Tou-chan, alright? You'll see, teme! Our bond is going to become even stronger than before!"_

_Sasuke giggled again and grabbed his father's fringe, playing with it. After a while, the child got tired and buried his face on Naruto's shoulder, grabbing the blonds' hand when the latter offered it._

"_Thank you for picking me as your father" Naruto said, almost imperceptibly before leaving the room with his child._

* * *

Sasuke turned off the TV and the video recorder. Then, he stood up and went once more to Naruto's side. Fearfully, Sasuke grabbed the blond's hand. It was ice cold, no matter how much he rubbed it.

"_This is wrong. His hands are always warm"_ the raven thought, feeling his throat tight and his eyes burn.

Still, Naruto's hands were the same as always. They were soft and comforting. The hands Sasuke had held thousands of times when they were travelling, when he was scared or cold. Those were the hands that had stroked his hair and his back, wiped his tears when he had cried and picked him up when Sasuke wanted to climb unto his lap.

They were hands of a father. _**His**_ father.

Sasuke wanted Naruto to think of him as his best friend. He wanted them to be teammates once the raven was old enough to go on missions. He wanted them to fight side by side. But… he didn't want them to stop being a family. He didn't want them to stop being parent and child. He couldn't.

Sasuke lifted his eyes and stared at Naruto's face. He saw his father. Above everything else, Naruto was his father and Sasuke couldn't think of him as just a teammate.

"Dad? I'm the one who should thank you" Sasuke said, smiling through his tears. "You're a great father… the best one. I'm so glad you decided to keep me."

Like when he was an infant, Sasuke grabbed a lock of Naruto's hair and played with it. He had always loved his Daddy's bright blond hair.

"Right now... I feel like shit. I'm the one who screwed up this time, Tou-chan. I was jealous and greedy and I let that guy control me and now… you…" with a quick movement, Sasuke wiped his tears. "I said horrible things back there, but I didn't mean them. Not a word!"

He had placed Naruto's forehead protector on his bedside table while he was cleaning his face. Gently, the raven picked it up. He knew he had no right to use it, he wasn't a real shinobi yet, but he wanted to bring a bit of his father's courage with him. So he tied the Hitai-ate in his belt.

He was on his own now. Everyone else was either in a coma or being controlled on these islands. Sasuke was the only one who could do something about it.

"You can rest now, Tou-chan. It's time I set things right" the raven said, his eyes shining with resolution. "I _**will**_ save you this time. I'm going to save our family and everything will go back to the way it was. I promise."

Afraid to lose his courage if he stared at Naruto one last time, Sasuke left the bedroom and ran down the stairs. He got into the kitchen with his mind straight on getting the spare supplies that they kept on the cupboard. He was so focused on what scrolls he should bring that he almost missed the beautiful cloth on the table.

Blinking, the raven man approached the table and realized that something long was inside the cloth so he unwrapped it.

"Is this… a sword?" Sasuke whispered in disbelief as he held the chokutō on his hands. As he checked the shiny blade and waved the sword, he couldn't help but feel that it fitted perfectly in his hands. Like it had been made for him.

Looking at the table, Sasuke noticed a white envelope. He put down the chokutō as he recognized his father's handwriting.

"_To Sasuke"_

Surprised that Naruto had left him a brand new sword and a letter, the raven put the blade down and opened the envelope immediately.

"_I don't know if you're going to read this before we get a chance to talk. Anyway, if we haven't talked please read this letter until the end. Okay son?_

_Did you see the sword on the table? That's for you. That's your birthday present. I'm sorry I couldn't give it to you during the party but I really couldn't. You see… that sword was your old sword, during your first life. It was in a pretty bad shape so I had to find a special swordsmith to fix it. That's why I came home so late lately and didn't tell you about it. I wanted it to be a surprise._

_I'm sure you're gonna graduate from your kenjutsu exam, so I want you to have your sword back. Then you can take it to the temple and name it whatever is on your heart. _

_I didn't forget your birthday, son. I never forget you. Just like don't want to go back to the village and leave you. _

_My rival… well, it's complicated to explain. You were right when you said that I miss him and I can't forget him, but there's a reason for that. We need to talk and I'm sure you'll understand._

_I'm sorry that I made you sad. I'm clumsy and not very perceptive, that's why I don't see what's right in front of me. However, remember this: there's no one in this world that I love more than you. Don't ever doubt it._

_Please forgive your silly Tou-chan,_

_Naruto"_

Sasuke closed the letter and put it his pants' pocket. "You are silly, usuratonkachi. You make a fool out of yourself, you don't act your age and, sometimes, you seem dumber than a hammer, always smiling like an idiot. But…"

The raven haired man picked up his chokutō and walked towards the front door. On the rope he used as a belt, Naruto's Hitai-ate waved.

"I am my father's child" Sasuke went on. "I shall protect the bond that he fought so hard to strengthen with this sword" the raven stared hard at the blade. When the sky reflected on the metal surface, Sasuke's black eyes momentarily looked deep blue. "This sword… its name is _Kizuna_" the young man looked at the Mansion. "Wait for me, Tou-chan."

With natural agility, Uzumaki Sasuke placed the chokutō on the back of his belt and jumped towards the marina.

* * *

Shigeru felt his head throbbing when he was tossed into the hard ground of a cave. To his surprise, someone cut the rope on his wrists and feet.

"Leave us" a man's voice said. "This is my battle."

All the other cloaked figures disappeared from the cave. Shigeru was all alone with this unknown man and this strange purple crystal.

"Who are you?" he demanded to know, standing up and staring at the cloaked man. "What do you want?"

The man only smirked before answering. "What I've been waiting all my life… a chance to finally kill you."

"What are you talking about? I don't even know you!"

"You're right" the man said. "You don't know me. You never cared to know me because you always wished I never existed in the first place."

Shigeru blinked, completely taken aback. When the stranger finally took his hood and revealed his long silver hair and ice cold eyes, the Sanada leader gaped in distress.

He was staring at his own son.

* * *

**Sasuke renamed his chokutō _Kizuna_, which means "bonds". I thought it would be a nice contrast since he used that same sword to sever his bonds in his first life.**

**This chapter his sappy, I know, but I've been wanting to write this for a while. Besides, it gave me a chance to write "baby Sasuke" one more time. By the way, theres more to Naruto's coma than meets the eye...**

**Next chapter will have more action and also reveal a lot about Riku's conception and birth. **

**PS: Since I did a bit of research on Riku's VA, here's something trivia about Sasuke's voice actor, Noriaki Sugiyama. He also voiced Uryū Ishida in _Bleach_, Shirō Emiya in _Fate/Stay Night_, and England in _Axis Powers Hetalia_. **

**Non-tan was a nickname given to him by Junko Takeuchi (Naruto's voice actress) on the radio show O-! Naruto Nippon!, which aired in Japan. LOL**

**See ya next time!**


	52. A Tale of Unrequited Love

**Hi! I know it's been a while but real life and exhaustion tends to get in the way of my writing. **

**Anyway, here's the chapter. I'm not sure I'm satisfied with it, but these kinds of chapters are hard to right without the right inspiration.**

**I'm glad so many of you became interested in Riku. **

**I hope you like it!**

* * *

**A Tale of Unrequited Love**

片思いの物語 _(Kataomoi no monogatari)_

Sasuke saw the other _kids-turned-adults_ everywhere he looked. They were patrolling the streets with huge grins of satisfaction on their faces now that their tasks had been completed and they had received the power they wanted at the expense of their families.

Just thinking that he had felt that away only an hour ago made Sasuke feel sick.

Careful so he wouldn't be seen, the raven man jumped from tree to tree to avoid getting caught. If he remembered correctly, Nobunaga was mentally linked to all his "soldiers" so that meant that he already knew Sasuke had broken free from his control. Unfortunately, that also meant that the others knew that he was an enemy now.

There was no way he could fight them all and he wasn't going to kill any of them either. If only they could break free as well…

Suddenly Sasuke saw something weird happen. The adult-children all stiffened at the same time and they lowered they heads. The raven waited for a few seconds but they didn't move an inch.

"_What is going on?"_ he thought, daring to jump from the tree branch where he was hidden and moving towards one of them, his hand ready to grab his chokutō. _"Why did they all stop?"_

Looking more closely, Sasuke realized that their eyes were wide open yet they seemed lifeless.

"Just like dolls…" he whispered.

The man moved so abruptly that Sasuke barely avoided being stabbed by his crystal sword. As he continued to attack him, the raven drew _Kizuna_ and fought back. However, the man seemed to be fighting mechanically, like a puppet controlled by strings. The creature on his back, which Sasuke knew was called a Guardian, became visible and roared at him.

"I get it… Nobunaga suppressed your personalities earlier to catch me" Sasuke said, noticing that he was being surrounded by other adult-children. "He doesn't need to fool you anymore. He just needs his pawns."

With a quick movement, Sasuke knocked the man on the neck and rendered him unconscious. Not a second later, he was already being attack by three others. Besides, more were coming in his direction.

"_Shit! I can't take them all down"_ the raven thought. _"I need to get rid of them without having to kill them… Sorry, Tou-chan. I know I promised, but I need to use my Sharingan this time!"_

Sasuke's eyes turned red as he activated his dōjutsu and avoided his opponent's deadly attacks. He didn't know how to do it yet, but he had to go to the Children's Island and face Nobunaga directly to stop this.

Even if that meant fighting a possessed Riku.

* * *

Shigeru couldn't believe his eyes. In front of him stood an adult Riku, looking as deadly as a sword through the chest.

He would grow into a handsome man. Tall and strong, he looked just like a warrior. However, what shocked Shigeru the most was is striking resemblance to his mother, Rei. With his shoulder-length silver hair and light blue eyes, Riku truly was his mother's living legacy.

Even his cold stare was just like hers.

* * *

_The kid with short silver hair was standing in the middle of seven beaten boys, still holding one of them by the collar. He was panting, yet he still looked fierce. His ice blue eyes shining as if he was looking for someone who would dare to fight him._

"_Who's that boy?" six year old Shigeru asked one of his classmates._

"_Huh? You mean you don't know?" his terrified classmate asked. _

"_No… Who is he? Why did he beat them up?"_

"_Well... they called her a "boy wannabe"…"_

_Shigeru's eyes widened as he looked at the silver haired fighter. "_She_? You mean __**that's**__ a girl?"_

_The girl looked in their direction with murder in her eyes. Although his classmate winced, Shigeru stood perfectly still and kept eye contact. After what seemed like hours, the girl dropped the boy she was still holding before leaving the classroom._

"_Huff… She's gone" the other boy said with relief. _

"_What's her name?" Shigeru asked, very interested. He had never met someone like her. He didn't even know girls could be so brutal. _

"_Hatsuyuki Rei, but everybody calls her the "ice queen". You saw her. She's horrible, mean and ugly! She's not a lady at all! No wonder she doesn't have any friends and everybody hates her." _

* * *

Shigeru felt a twinge on his chest. The memories he had tried so hard to suppress where impossible to ignore, as well as his feelings of fear, guilt and regret.

"Riku…"

"Impressive" the young man said with a bitter grin. "I thought it would be harder for you to recognize me, considering how you always avoided looking at my face. But then again… there aren't many silver haired people in the Islands are there? Not ever since my mother died."

Shigeru remained quiet, too perplexed to answer him. The last time he had seen Riku had been last night, before the little boy went to bed with a slightly worried look on his face because of his exam. Now, he stood before him as a full grown man, ready to battle.

No. This had got to be some sort of trickery. The enemy was obviously trying to confuse and disturb him with this illusion.

"What is going on in here?" the older Sanada asked, ready for battle. "Stop this vision immediately and face me like a true warrior."

Riku's grin vanished and his eyes became even colder.

"Who are you really? What have you done too the people from the Districts? What did you do to the children?"

"Well… You sure got your priorities straight, don't you?" Riku answered, emotionless. "Above everything else, you're the leader of the Islands. Your people are always your main concern."

"That is correct" Shigeru answered. "I'm their leader. My people depend on me and are under my protection. I'll do anything to save them, so I'll ask you again: what have you done to the children?"

"You just saw them, pitiful Sanada man" an unknown voice said, echoing through the cave.

Suddenly something dark became visible on Riku's shoulders. It was a dark purple mist that slowly transformed into a transparent man with black hair and grey eyes, dressed like a warrior. On his chest, shone a hexagonal golden crest.

"No" Shigeru whispered, his eyes widening with fear for the first time. He had seen that crest before but only in photos and in the history books. The man who wore it had died a long time ago, killed by his grandfather. "Nobunaga…"

"Oh? I'm so flattered. Decades from my death and I'm still remembered" Nobunaga said with a sneer. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Shigeru_-sama_. You sure resemble Yukimura."

Shigeru was taken aback by hearing that… _ghost_ speaking about his grandfather so leisurely.

"How... How is this possible?" the Sanada leader demanded to know. "What are you?"

"My, my… You have inherited his character as well" Nobunaga said. "Yukimura was also very narrow. Too limited by his clan's duties, rules and obligations to see how much powerful a samurai could truly become. Instead, he focused on old-fashioned thinking and decided to ignore and mock my advices."

Shigeru could feel a very strong and dark chakra coming from the ghostly man. The cave suddenly seemed a lot colder than before.

"How dare you insult my grandfather?" Shigeru said. "He was a great man, a true leader who gave his own life to protect his homeland. A creature of illusions like you doesn't deserve to even speak of his name!"

"Yukimura was a fool who died because of his lack of vision!" Nobunaga groaned with displeasure. "We learned together as boys. We fought side by side every so often, but he never saw anything beyond these Islands. He never cared about the outside world or the possibilities that an invasion could bring us. We could bring glory to our nation with the right strategy. Instead, he mocked me and took my samurai status. He was nothing by a stubborn, stupid man who should not be in charge of the islands."

Shigeru took his sword and got ready for any clash that might occur. "If you really are Nobunaga then you lost against him. My grandfather defeated you and stopped you from usurping his place as the Islands leader. You're dead, Nobunaga. Accept your fate and go to the afterlife."

This time, Nobunaga really laughed. "Fate? I doubt that. Yukimura died because of his injuries after our battle, yet I'm still on this earth. I studied the crystals abilities when everyone thought that was a waste of time. I made myself immortal upon death because I found out that I could hide my soul on my own sword with the crystals help. Do you still think he was the real winner?"

Shigeru blinked. He had heard about the mysterious crystal that grew inside the Islands' caves, but he never thought much about them, just like the rest of the samurai. All his life, he thought they were just pretty, harmless minerals. Could this man be right? Was he really Nobunaga whose soul was kept in the realm of the living through the crystals' power?

In the meantime, Riku was getting impatient with all that useless talking. Both he and Nobunaga wanted to kill Shigeru so why was that spirit taking so long?

"Nobunaga, enough of this" Riku said, glaring at his father. "Let me fight him. I've waited long enough."

The older man looked at the young samurai with an amused smirk. "Patience, my boy. You'll have your well deserved vengeance shortly. But I believe Shigeru needs to know how his precious Islands are going to end up before he dies."

Shigeru gaped as he heard Riku, or the man who looked so much like Riku, talk. There was so much hatred and anger in his voice. That wasn't an act, he meant every word.

"What have you done, Nobunaga?" Shigeru asked, feeling the dread grow in his heart. "What happened to the children? What have you done with them? And why are you using an illusion of Riku?"

"Illusion?" Nobunaga answered. "You still haven't realized the truth? This is no illusion. I needed an army to help me gain enough chakra, that's what the children are for. I gave them the power to become my warriors and all they had to do was to bring me more children before taking the chakra from their family members."

Shigeru's remaining color disappeared from his face. "You used… the children? _**Our**_ children against us? Then… those cloaked invaders…"

"That's right, Sanada. They are the very same children that you and your men have been trying to find for so long" Nobunaga explained. "They have been here, right under your noses this entire time."

Shigeru was too appalled to speak as he realized what had happened and the horror of the situation. The children… the invaders _were_ the children. They had drained their parents' chakra and put everybody in a death state. This horrible man had twisted their minds and changed their bodies to do his bidding. He changed them into adults… so that meant…

Riku. That young man, staring at him with those deadly eyes, really was Riku.

"Ri… ku?" Shigeru whispered looking carefully at the young man that was his son. "It really is you… He caught you as well."

"Hmph! You believe I'm real now?" Riku groaned, his gaze filled with resentment. "Took you long enough!"

The silver haired man summoned a crystal sword and attacked Shigeru. The older samurai drew his sword and metal and crystal clashed before Riku jumped backwards. Before Shigeru knew it, Riku was attacking him again.

The boy was indeed powerful. There were no weaknesses on his fighting style or his defense. Shigeru didn't have this much trouble fighting an opponent ever since his sparring times against Rei. To his dismay, he not only recognized Rei's fighting style within Riku's moves, but also his own. Riku had inherited it from both of them.

Rei and Shigeru.

* * *

_Shigeru had lost against Rei once more. _

_It was so frustrating! How could he have lost against her? He was a Sanada! He wasn't supposed to lose against anyone. Specially that tomboy!_

_During lunch break, his peers had gone from teasing him to trying to appease him by bad mouthing Rei. Everybody acknowledged her strength but no one was on her side. _

_All the girls though she was a weirdo and an avoided her while all the boys despised her and called her a freak behind her back. She would never belong because she didn't fit in._

_Rei could be one of the teachers' favorite students but, to her classmates, she was a pariah._

_Shigeru looked to his right and, sure enough, he saw Rei asking to be allowed to sit and eat with some of the girls. Even though they had plenty of room, they told her that all seats were taken and Rei left. There were no more tables available, so she sat in the ground, under a tree. _

_Shigeru's friends made fun of her again, calling her ugly and disgusting. Meanwhile, Shigeru stared at her again and noticed something that he had never seen in Rei's blue eyes. _

_Sadness and loneliness. She looked so alone. _

_Without thinking, the young Sanada got up, grabbed his lunch and walked in her direction, much to his peers' dismay._

"_What do you want, Sanada?" Rei asked when he got near her, ready for any insult. _

"_Right now, I want to eat here with you" he said, sitting down next to here. "And don't tell me that this place is taken. You don't own the whole ground."_

_Rei was surprised but she remained suspicious. "Why do you want to have lunch with me? You have, like, a million friends! What are you up to? Are you and your gang trying to trick me?"_

"_It's not a trick. I just wanna have lunch with you and… maybe, talk a little. We never talked, we only spar."_

"_Hmph! I'm sure you talk about me all the time, don't you?" Rei said with a scowl. "I know what you and your friends say about me."_

"_**They** talk about you" Shigeru interrupted. "I never did, so don't accuse me of insulting you behind your back."_

"_You… don't?" Rei asked, very confused. "Why? You hate me."_

"_Because you're my rival and I don't hate you. You're the strongest person that I fought and I think you're awesome, that's why I won't let anyone insult you in my presence again. No one bad mouths my rival."_

_Rei's eyes widened and she relaxed. _

"_Now… Can we eat? I'm starving" Shigeru said._

"_Huh? Yeah… Sure, Sanada."_

"_It's Shigeru, okay? Don't call me by my surname, alright Rei?"_

_Rei blushed and nodded. Shigeru didn't notice then or in the months and years that followed, but that day Hatsuyuki Rei had fallen in love with him._

_He never noticed, until it was too late._

* * *

Riku's attacks were extremely precise and powerful. Shigeru could feel his body wear out, his muscles ached and drops of sweat ran through his forehead. He couldn't go on like this.

"What are you doing, Riku? How can you side with this villain?" Shigeru asked with a frown. "How can you betray the Islands? How can you betray everything our family protected for centuries?"

"_Our family_? Don't make me laugh!" the young man answered. "Why should I be loyal to the Sanada? Why the hell should I be loyal to _**you**_?"

"Wha…? What are you saying?" the older Sanada asked. He had never seen Riku so angry before. Despite his aloofness, the boy had always been respectful. "What did Nobunaga do to you? What did he tell you to turn you against the Sanada?"

"You're wrong. He didn't have to tell me anything and it's not the Sanada that I'm against. It's _you_" the young samurai said coldly. "It's always been you. I hate you. Just as much you've always hated me."

"What?" Shigeru asked, staring deep into Riku's blue eyes.

"Don't deny it. There's no need for you to pretend anymore. We're the only ones here, no else" Riku said, each word filled with hatred. "You don't have to pretend that you ever cared about me, there's no one else to fool. You've hated me ever since I was born… No, you hate me _**because**_ I was born! Because I was a mistake that you wished you could erase."

Shigeru could only gape at Riku's accusations. His eyes were so filled with hate and rage that it was disturbing, but there was also so much sorrow and hurt. Just like Rei's had.

"You don't think I noticed?" Riku went on. "I knew it every time you avoided staying in the same room with me; every time you talked or looked at me, you wished Hatori was the one there. Your precious, lovable and irreplaceable Hatori. Admit it! He was the one who should be alive and I should never have been born!"

"I…" Shigeru stammered. He wasn't ready for this. He wasn't ready to face his complicated feelings towards Hatori and Riku. He didn't want to. "I gave you everything Hatori had. You had a roof over your head, food on your table and the best education available. I never mistreated you!"

Riku laughed bitterly and sadly at these statements. "Am I supposed to felt grateful towards your "benevolence"? You dumped my on your mother and avoided any contact with me. You rejected every attempt I made to get close to you. I loved you and you pushed me aside like an unwanted stray dog!"

The pain on Shigeru's chest was growing as the shields he had built around himself began to crumble with Riku's enraged words. He knew they were true, he had always known but he had closed his eyes and had decided to ignore the little boy that was living on his house.

"That's it, isn't it?" Riku asked. "Hatori was and will always be your true son. I'm not at his level. In your heart, you'll always be married to your beautiful Miya and Hatori is the only son you recognize. To you, I'm a shameful bastard and my mother was just a body to fuck!"

"NO!" Shigeru screamed. Hearing Riku talk about him and Rei like that was just… atrocious. "Stop! You're wrong! It wasn't like that!"

"Yes, it was" Riku yelled with fury, attacking his hated father nonstop as if his rage fueled his movements. "I know what happened. I know what you did to her! She loved you! She had loved you all her life and you just ignored her. Why did you do that? What did Miya have that she didn't? Why did you reject her like she was nothing?"

The Sanada avoided a strong strike at the last second. It was getting harder and harder to fight. Also, his heart and mind were troubled by Riku's words.

"Rei wasn't nothing!" Shigeru screamed. "I never meant to hurt her!"

"Then why did you fuck her?" Riku asked. "You didn't love her and yet you kept fucking her. You lied to her and made her think that she meant something to you! Instead, you used her like a whore!"

"SHUT UP!" Shigeru yelled with all his might. He hated what Riku was saying. Retelling his and Rei's relationship with those disgusting words… It made him feel sick.

In that moment of weakness, Riku clashed against him and successfully injured Shigeru. The older samurai's sword flew in the air, away from his reach, as he fell on the floor panting with pain. It was a bad wound, but not lethal.

"You didn't count on one thing though" Riku continued, glaring coldly at his wounded father. "It never crossed your mind that she could end up pregnant. That was a huge problem because you couldn't just reject an offspring of the Sanada, as much as you didn't want him. When my mother died you took me, always resenting my existence because I was a constant reminder of the mistake you made. You celebrated Hatori's birth and every accomplishment just as much as you neglected and dismissed mine."

Shigeru tried to stand up but the pain ran through his body.

"I didn't ask to be born! I didn't ask for any of this!" Riku yelled, tears brimming in his eyes. "How could you do this to me? I tried so hard to make you love me, but all you could see was Hatori! You chose your memories of him over me and pushed me to the dark."

Shigeru looked at Riku as if he was really seeing him, which, in a way, he was. Now he knew how he felt. He saw the result of his cowardice and cruelty towards the boy and his guilt towards his mother.

* * *

_7 years earlier_

_Shigeru couldn't believe his eyes when he found a letter from Rei in the leg of a messenger bird. Carefully, he sent the bird away and took the folded letter to his office. _

_Rei had left the main island many months ago, promising never to come back or talk to him again. Stubborn as he knew her, Shigeru had believed her and didn't do anything to change her mind._

_He couldn't. What they had done had been a mistake._

_After Miya and Hatori died, Shigeru had felt all kinds of emotions; from disbelief and rage to sorrow and despair. Then, he only felt numb. He didn't want to be alive when those he loved the most were dead. He wished he had died instead. He wished he had died with them. _

_It had been Rei who made his numbness disappear with her constant taunting and demanding for a battle. She always had been his rival, so it felt good and soothing to take his anger on her. Their first kiss happened during one of their battles, when he had accidently fall on top of her. _

_Shigeru had been too shocked to react immediately. He was about to move away and apologize when Rei kissed him back. Then it was like his mind shot down and he moved on instinct, taking off each other's clothes, grabbing and kissing her stunning body. He had never realized own sensual she was under her warrior garments._

_Two years after his wife's death, he was having sex every time he could with his childhood rival. Then he would come home, lay on their bed, surrounded by her pictures and hating himself for betraying her and their life together with another woman. A woman he didn't love._

_In his heart, and everywhere where it counts, he was still married to Miya. She was his first and only true love._

_Finally, he decided to end it, so he asked Rei to come meet him at his dojo. He expected her to understand his feelings, after all they were both adults and that had been only sex. He never imagined that she would be so angry. When she slapped him, he saw her crying for the first time in his life. That's when he finally understood that he had hurt her beyond measure, because she had feelings for him. It hadn't been just sex; it had meant something to Rei._

_After screaming that she hated him and never wanted to see him again, she left. Only a few days later did Shigeru find out that she had actually moved to one of the smaller Islands and gave up her rank as a samurai warrior. _

_Now, almost nine months later, he had gotten a letter from her. And he couldn't help feeling a horrible sense of dread._

_Taking a deep breath, Shigeru opened the letter and started reading the only phrase she wrote. _

"I'm dying. Please come see me."

_The letter fell from his hands to the ground. Four hours later, Shigeru was walking through the white and old corridor of the clinic where Rei was. He knew she wouldn't lie to him just to get him back, so he believed her words. _

_She was dying, alone, on a cold and decrepit clinic._

_Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw when he opened her room's door. Rei was lying in a white bed, looking as pale as the snow outside. There were black rings around her blue eyes and she seemed to be having trouble breathing, yet she was smiling and singing softly to a baby she was holding in her arms._

"_Rei…" he whispered, feeling glued to the floor._

_Rei stopped singing and looked up, she didn't seem surprised. "Hi, Shigeru. I'm glad you came." _

_Shigeru walked towards her, his eyes moving from her pale face to the newborn baby sleeping in her arms. _

_Rei must have seen his astonishment because she looked at her baby too._

"_He was born three days ago" she explained. "I named him Riku."_

"_Rei…" Shigeru couldn't take his eyes from the sleeping newborn. His brain was putting the pieces together: they had sex nine months ago and now Rei had given birth to a baby. "Rei? Is he… mine?"_

_Rei nodded. "He's yours, Shigeru."_

_The Sanada gaped, his eyes widening in shock and disbelief. "Why didn't you tell me?"_

"_I was going to" she said, pushing the infant's head towards her chest. "That day… when you asked me to meet you, I was going to tell you everything."_

"_Everything?"_

_Rei sighed with sadness._

"_I've always loved you, Shigeru" she confessed, looking directly at his surprised eyes. "I love you ever since you sat down and had lunch with me in school. You were first person who accepted me for who I was and I've loved you ever since."_

_Shigeru couldn't believe it. Rei had loved him for that long? How couldn't he notice it? Why did she act so antagonist towards him if she felt that way?_

"_Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he asked._

"_Because… Miya came into your life and I knew I didn't stand a chance" Rei answered, diverting her gaze and lowering her head. "She was the kind of woman you liked. Gentle, sweet, feminine… Not a tomboy like me. I realized then that you never saw me as a girl or a woman, so there was no way you could ever love me back."_

_Shigeru's eyes became sad. "Rei… I'm so sorry. I didn't…"_

"_Please, don't feel sorry for me" Rei interrupted. "You know I hate that. Just let me talk. I need you to hear this."_

_In his blanket, Riku started moaning and Rei cuddled him close to her chest, whispering sweet words to calm him down. That made Shigeru aware of the baby's existence once more. Rei's baby. His baby._

_Oh God! His son! He had another son._

"_When we kissed at the dojo, I thought you had finally reciprocated my feelings" Rei went on. "And the days afterwards… well… When you summoned me and said that we needed to talk, I had just found out that I was pregnant. I was so happy. I thought we could finally be together and be a family like I'd always dreamed off. Instead… you told me that it had all been a mistake, that you loved Miya too much. Even in death, I was no match for her. You didn't love me and never would, so I decided to leave and raise my baby on my own. If you didn't love me, how could you love my baby? That's why I decided not to tell you."_

_Shigeru could feel her sorrow and his guilt shattered his heart. He had never meant to hurt her. Rei was important to him and he had broken her heart because he had been ignored her feelings._

"_However, I'm dying now" Rei whispered. "I can't look after Riku and I don't have anyone. After my death, he'll be sent to an orphanage. I want my son to have a family" she looked at Shigeru, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "You might never love me but… what we did wasn't a mistake. It brought Riku into this world and I'll never regret it."_

_Outside the snow was falling slower now and the sky was clearing. Small rays of light shone through the clouds._

"_I know how hard it is for you, Shigeru. I understand that you lost your family and I'm not saying that you should replace them. I just…" Rei brought the baby closer to Shigeru. "This baby is your son and I can't think of a better father to raise him. So, please… take care of him."_

_For a few seconds, Shigeru stared back at Rei and then at Riku. Then, slowly and carefully, he stretched his arms and held the baby. His baby. A baby that he and Rei had conceived together._

_Riku opened his eyes and stared for the first time at his father. Shigeru was afraid the baby would start crying, but Riku nuzzled his tiny face on his robes. _

"_I'll look after him, Rei" he said, looking at his smiling rival. "You can rest assured. I'll take care of him."_

"_Thank you" she said, before coughing violently._

"_Rei!" _

_Startled by the noise, Riku started to cry. When Rei finally calmed down she shook her head._

"_I'm okay… don't worry. Poor Riku, you were fast asleep and I woke you up" she said._

"_Do you want me to call a doctor? There has to be something I can do" Shigeru said, scared and desperate. He couldn't just let Rei die. There had to be something he could do to help her, to ease her pain, to atone for his dismissal of her feelings…_

_Rei looked at Shigeru and then at Riku. "Actually… there is something I wanted to ask you."_

"_Anything!"_

"_I wanted to give Riku a family moment" Rei said with the kindest smile Shigeru had ever seen. "Just for once, I wanted my baby….no, our baby to feel loved by both his parents. It's my greatest wish."_

_With Riku still crying on his arms, Shigeru nodded and sat next to Rei. Then, they both held their child on their midst, cradling him until he stopped crying._

"_Shhhh… Don't cry, Riku. Your mommy is here" Rei looked at Shigeru. "Daddy is here too. It's going to be okay."_

_The three of them stood there quietly, just holding the baby. Tears were falling down Rei's cheeks but she kept smiling at her baby. Shigeru placed a hand over hers and they smiled at each other before smiling at their son. _

_Then, Rei's hand slipped._

"_Rei?" Shigeru asked, looking at Rei. She was smiling, but her eyes looked glassy and lifeless. "Rei? Rei! Rei, wake up! Please… Somebody, help!"_

_The baby started crying again, startled by Shigeru's desperate screams. When the doctors and nurses arrived, Shigeru took his son from Rei's arms. He already knew, even before the doctor told him, that the young mother was dead._

* * *

Staring at his enraged son, Shigeru realized how much he had failed to keep his promise to Rei. After her death, he had spent a night at the small Island, getting everything ready for her burial on the main Island, next to her parents and ancestors.

All that time, he never let go of Riku, beginning to feel attached to his new son. The baby was the only good thing that had come out of that tragedy and seeing him sleeping with his little pale fists closed next to his chest, Shigeru felt a kind of love he had only experienced when Hatori was alive. And then, while he was holding the sleeping baby, it hit him like a dagger to the heart.

This child wasn't Hatori. He wasn't his and Miya's child. He was Rei's son. A son he had conceived while mourning for the loss of his wife and firstborn.

He already could feel his memories of Miya and Hatori fading away, no matter how much he wanted to remember them. He couldn't remember how their voices sounded like or their scent and that knowledge made him feel like he was losing them again. How could he love another child and forget Hatori? No one could ever replace him.

So, in order to keep his memories of his family, Shigeru gave Riku to his mother and ran away from his duties as a parent, trying to ignore his mother's disappointment and Riku's accusing and resentful eyes which reminded him so much of Rei and how he had broke his promise.

"You're right, Riku" the Sanada said, forcing himself to face his neglected son. He owned Riku the truth. "I didn't love Rei. We had sex but I didn't love her."

Riku's face hardened like stone, yet he didn't say a word.

"I love Miya and Hatori with all my heart and losing them was like losing a part of myself" Shigeru continued. "I was oblivious about your mother's feelings and she only told me when you were already born. I promised her on her deathbed that I would take care of you and I failed. I know now how much I hurt and neglected you. You didn't deserve it.

I won't lie to you. I can never love Rei like I love Miya, but she was still a very important person to me. And… you were right when you said that I celebrated every one of Hatori's achievements. Not a day goes by that I don't wish he was still here, growing up in front of my eyes. I was trying so hard to cling to his memory that I refused myself to love and accept you."

Shigeru lowered his head. "Forgive me, Riku. I'm so sorry I wasn't the father you deserved. I'm sorry for every pain I've ever caused you."

Riku's face remained emotionless as he walked towards his prostrated father. Shigeru could feel him right beside him, but he stood on his knees before his son, asking for forgiveness.

"It's too late" Riku said.

Before Shigeru could react, Riku kicked him in the gut and the older man clashed against a wall, coughing blood.

"You think can apologize now and everything will be okay!" the silver haired man roared. "No apology can erase what you've done, it's too late! Besides, you only want to ease your guilty conscience."

Shigeru tried to get up, but his body hurt all over. "No… You're wrong. I want…"

"Shut up!" Riku said. "I've heard enough from you. It's time to end this." Riku drew his sword and walked towards his father. "Rejoice. I'm going to send you to your beloved wife and son now, just like you always wanted."

"Riku…" Shigeru whispered, his vision blurring.

"So long!" Riku yelled, jumping his sword ready for the final strike.

However, instead of a scream or the sound of the blade ripping through flesh, Riku heard the sound of metal against his crystal sword. The straight blade broke free from the crystal one and tried to disarm Riku, who effectively jumped backwards.

"Who are you?" Riku asked, glaring at the unknown intruder.

Instead of answering, the owner of the chokutō slightly turned his head towards the fallen samurai. "Are you alright, Shigeru-san?"

Shigeru stared in awe at the young raven haired man. He looked so familiar and yet so different. After a few seconds, his blinked in recognition.

"Sasuke? You're Sasuke, right?"

"That's right" the raven said, facing Riku once more.

"Sasuke, huh?" Riku said, grinning with confidence. "I thought you'd be a puppet by now. So you really broke free from Nobunaga's control."

"I did, and I came here to make you do the same" Sasuke said, brandishing _Kizuna_. "I don't care what it takes."

* * *

**I wanted to tell Riku's and Rei's back-story through flashbacks and this was the final result. It's a bit difficult to find the right moment to insert a flashback into a story.**

**BTW, Riku wasn't draining Shigeru's chakra. He just wants to kill him and Nobunaga has enough chakra already, courtesy of Naruto.**

**I hope you liked this. See ya next time!**


	53. Sasuke vs Riku

**Hello! How you doing? I know that I have deviated from the original theme of this fanfic (family moments) but I needed to create this chapters and throw a little danger in this. I hope you understand.**

**Besides, I love family moments, I wouldn't give them up. Please be patient!**

**Like I said before… action writing, not my forte. Here it goes! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Sasuke vs. Riku**

サスケVSリク _(Sasuke VS Riku)_

_Konohagakure_

"And here is the mission's report, Hokage-sama" Shikamaru said, placing a couple of sheets of paper on the desk, next to the others. "Everything went smoothly."

Tsunade picked up the report before staring at the Nara genius. "Good work, Shikamaru. You can go rest now. You deserve it."

"Thanks" he said, turning his back and walking towards the door. Suddenly, he stopped. His hand just inches from the door knob. "Actually…"

"Hmm? Is something wrong?"

Shikamaru listened attentively but he couldn't hear of feel anyone's presence on the corridors or anywhere near. So, he stared at his Hokage once more.

"I wanted to ask you if there's any news from Naruto yet?" he asked.

"News?" Tsunade repeated, blinking in confusion. "We all visited him yesterday and there was nothing wrong. Why should he write a letter so soon?"

Shikamaru rubbed his head. The truth was that he had felt uneasy ever since he left the Unmei Islands after his talk with Naruto about Sasuke's jealously of his past self. He had the feeling something very serious was going to happen, though he couldn't tell why.

"Before we left, I talked to Naruto about Sasuke." Shikamaru confessed. "He looked very upset and I tried to call Naruto's attention about it. I don't know how everything turned out, that's why I'm asking."

"Well… Sasuke got upset plenty of times, believe me" Tsunade said with a sigh. "The kid is sweet but he can be pretty selfish and insensible when he throws a tantrum. However, I'm sure Naruto can handle him."

Shikamaru nodded. Sure, Naruto didn't believe him when he told him of his suspicions, but the blond was Sasuke's parent (though it was still _**very **_weird to think that!) and the Hokage was probably right. He could handle the kid.

"Don't worry, Shikamaru" the Godaime said undisturbed, reading his mission's report. "Naruto is supposed to write me in two weeks. If you want, you can send a letter to him along with mine."

"Okay, maybe I will. There isn't another way to get in contact with him except through the toads?"

"You can always write to Unmei directly and let the samurai give him the letter, though I think it's quite unnecessary at this point."

"Understood. I'll be going now. Good-night, Hokage-sama" Shikamaru said, receiving a nod from Tsunade.

Shikamaru left the Hokage's Mansion and headed home at a slow pace, lost in thoughts. He was a logic person and he knew everything Tsunade had said was right, so he shouldn't be worrying about Naruto and Sasuke anymore. Yet, he still was.

He couldn't help it. There was something in Sasuke's resentful eyes and Naruto's obliviousness that deeply disturbed him. Shikamaru felt that something bad was about to happen, but he couldn't just act because he had a bad feeling.

"Oi, Shikamaru" a known voice said right above him.

On top of a tree, Hatake Kakashi was sitting leisurely on a branch, with his Icha-Icha book on his hand.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Shikamaru said. "What are you doing there?"

"Just reading" the white haired Jōnin said, closing his book and staring at the younger ninja with both his normal and Sharingan eyes. "I was about to go home since the sun has set. So… You've delivered your report to the Hokage, huh?"

Shikamaru blinked as he realized that Kakashi's position allowed him a perfect view of the Hokage's Office. Not only that, he had unveiled his Sharingan, most likely to be able to read their lips and know what they were talking about.

"Tell me something, Shikamaru" Kakashi said calmly, his eyes fixed on Shikamaru's face. "Have you talked about Naruto with the Hokage lately?"

Shikamaru knew it was not only useless but also stupid to lie. Kakashi already knew they were talking about Naruto and… Sasuke. Fortunately, Kakashi's view had been limited and he had only been able to see him and Tsunade's back, not her face or lips.

"_Which means that he doesn't know were those two are yet"_ the Nara shinobi thought. "It's funny that you asked that, Kakashi-sensei. We were just talking about him, apparently he's doing great."

"I see. I'm glad Naruto's alright" Kakashi nodded, still staring at Shikamaru with his Sharingan eye. "By the way… how's Sasuke?"

Shikamaru paled and gulped, but he quickly brought himself together. "Sasuke?"

"Naruto's son" the older ninja added, no hint of emotion in his features. "Iruka told me his name is… _Sasuke_."

"Oh? Right… I didn't know you already knew his name" Shikamaru said. If Kakashi knew about the boy's name, Shikamaru could easily use it to his advantage. There was no way he could link Uchiha Sasuke to Naruto's son yet. Not without tangible proof. "Sasuke is fine. He was upset the last time I heard of him, so I was asking Tsunade-sama if she knew they had made up."

"Upset? Did something happen?"

"Nothing serious, just a kid's tantrum. He is Naruto's son, we shouldn't expect any less" Shikamaru answered. He had to leave before Kakashi found anything more. "If you'll excuse me sensei, I have to go home now."

"Sure" Kakashi said, finally covering his Sharingan with his headband. "Next time there's any news, would you tell me? After all… you know I worry about Naruto and Sasuke."

Shikamaru had to try really hard not to let his expression betray him. Kakashi was trying to make him reveal more than he wanted. Fortunately, he was better trained than that.

"There's no need to worry, Kakashi-sensei. Good-night" he said, turning his back and leaving.

Shikamaru could feel his own heart beating on his chest. After telling everyone that Naruto had a son, _Operation Fox Hunt_ was over. They all seemed to accept that Naruto's secret reason for not going back to the village was the child's existence (which was half the truth). Even Sakura had stopped trying to get Naruto to come back or find him.

However, Kakashi had not been entirely convinced by their story.

Shikamaru could be totally wrong about this, but all his instincts told him that Kakashi already suspected that Uchiha Sasuke didn't die seven years ago. Even worse, that he already suspected that Sasuke had been with Naruto all this time.

* * *

Sasuke's Sharingan watched, carefully, all of Riku's movements. The silver haired boy was walking around him and Shigeru, with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"_The bastard is totally convinced that he can beat me"_ Sasuke thought, grasping _Kizuna_ harder. Behind him, he could hear Shigeru's heavy breathing. He had also seen the wound on his chest, it wasn't life threatening but the samurai should be in a lot of pain.

"Sasuke…" Shigeru said, trying and failing to stand up. "What happened in the islands? Is Naruto-dono okay?"

Sasuke's eyes widened before he lowered his head, guilt written all over his face.

"Hmph! You broke free, but it's too late now" Riku revealed with a satisfied grin. "Don't you agree, Sasuke?"

The raven man glared at Riku with his fists closed around his sword. Meanwhile, Shigeru looked confused.

"What are you talking about?" the samurai asked.

"Tell me, Sasuke… How did it feel like?" Riku went on. "How did it feel to drain your own father's chakra and life force out of his body?"

"Shut up" Sasuke hissed, though he felt his hands trembling in both anger and desolation.

"You brought his present, I see" Riku continued as Sasuke's eyes got wide.

"What?"

"He looked so happy last week. You should have seen him. Always checking if your sword was going to be ready on time for your birthday… saying that he couldn't wait to see your face when you got it. So tell me, Sasuke… How did he look like when you fought him? Was he shocked? Did he try to stop you? Did he tell you that he loved you?"

_**"I don't want you to tell me that you love me, because I know that's a fucking lie. I will never measure up to your rival. You'd choose him over me in a heartbeat… No, you already have. I'm just the second choice!"**_

_**"There is no choice! You got it all wrong, son…"**_

_**"I'M NOT YOUR SON! I was never your son! We were never a family. This whole thing was just a sham."**_

_**"Don't… don't say that…"**_

_**"Why not? It's the truth! We're two people connected by a kinjutsu and that's it! Everything else was a charade."**_

_**"No, it wasn't. You can't believe that! Not after everything we went through."**_

_**"I do believe it. You should be happy; I'm freeing you from your burden. You won't have to look after me ever again. And you know what? I don't want to be your "son". You're a lousy father anyway."**_

"St-Stop it…" Sasuke replied, almost pleading. He didn't want to remember it. He didn't want to go through it all over again!

Riku knew he was distressing his adversary. The more upset Sasuke got, the more emotional, the easier it would be to kill him.

"Did you even listen to what Naruto was saying or did you just ignore him?" Riku said mercilessly. "Was he crying? Did you break his heart into pieces before you finished him off?"

_**"It's always like this. Isn't it, Sasuke? No matter how many times I try… you never understand me…"**_

"I'm warning you! Shut up!" the raven yelled.

"How did you feel when you overpowered him?" Riku went on. "How did you feel when you killed him?"

_**"I wanted things to be different this time… I… I knew I couldn't do it… I knew I'd screw up. But I had to try, because… you were always my best friend. I… love you… why didn't you understand?"**_

"How happy were you when you killed him?"

"SHUT UP!" Sasuke cried out, his heart beating painfully against his chest as flashes of his battle against Naruto ran in front of his eyes. "I didn't kill him! I didn't! I stopped!"

"But you were going to" the silver haired man added. "You wanted him to die, and while he was injured, weak and suffering, you felt great."

"That wasn't me!" Sasuke angrily replied, though his own heart was shaken. "Nobunaga used me. He used every one of us like his own little puppets, just like he's using you now."

Riku laughed dryly. "No one is using me, believe me" he glared once more at Shigeru. "I've been waiting to do this for a long time. Nobunaga just gave the power and the opportunity. And now…" Riku drew his crystal sword. "… you're in my way!"

Sasuke clashed against his school rival and pushed him away from Shigeru. Their swords continued to clash all around the temple, using their chakra to cling on to the walls and pillars.

Nobunaga was looking at them, waiting for Riku to get rid of Sasuke so he could proceed with his plan. As for Shigeru, he could barely move let alone be of any help.

"You still don't got it" Riku said, using the crystal's power to create several kunai and throw them at Sasuke who, in turn, used his chokutō to deflect them. "Give it up already!"

"You're should know me better than that because no matter how many times I fall, I'll always rise again!" the raven answered, clashing with his classmate again.

Sasuke seriously doubted he could change Riku's mind. When Naruto had tried to reason with him, Sasuke had simply brushed him off, both blinded and deaf by anger and hate. Only the shocking realization that he had never been his father's second choice made him stop and break free from the ghost's lies.

Nobunaga didn't make up their negative feelings, they were already there. All he had to do was to take the darkness that each of them had in their hearts and increase it a hundredfold. It would take an extremely powerful emotion to turn them back.

"If he's not controlling you, then why are you siding with him?" Sasuke asked, avoiding one of Riku's kicks. "You know what he wants! He's going to take over your body!"

Shigeru's face lost all its remaining color, his horrified eyes looking right at his son. So that was how Nobunaga was going to revive himself? Using Riku as a vessel?

"Is that… true?" the samurai asked feebly, although no one heard him.

"I don't care" Riku said with a serious expression on his face. "He can have my body. It doesn't matter."

"What?" Sasuke asked. "Are you even aware of what you're saying? He's going to possess you! You'll lose your own body and your soul will be either trapped forever or destroyed!"

Riku closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he reopened them, his face was blank, devoid of any emotion.

"Like I said, I don't care" the silver haired man said calmly. "I know exactly what the consequences are. I know that I'll lose both my body and soul, but if that means Shigeru will die, then I'll accept my fate."

Shigeru gaped in complete shock while Sasuke could only frown.

"You're out of your mind!" the raven yelled. "Why do want to kill your father that much? How can you hate him to the point of throwing your own life away? You can't be serious!"

"Shut up!" Riku screamed, suddenly disappearing from Sasuke's view and then reappearing right behind him. Before the raven could react, Riku kicked him in the back and the raven fell against a wall, crashing it. "What do you know about me? About my pain or my sorrow?"

Sasuke felt an unbearable pain on his back and he could feel blood rising from his throat to his mouth. _Kizuna_ had fallen a few meters away and out of his grasp.

"Shit…" the raven gasped, trying to move. Suddenly, Riku reappeared in front of him and pulled him back against the wall with his right feet.

"How dare you come in here and tell me to stop?" Riku said, his face still blank though his blue eyes were fiery with hatred. "You know nothing… NOTHING about pain and loneliness! Do you think your feeble little darkness can even compare to mine? My whole existence is just a mistake that should have never happened!"

Shigeru winced in pain but he was finally able to stand. His eyes were focused on Riku… the boy he had deliberately ignored and closed his heart.

"My father had a wife and a son and he lost them" Riku said between his teeth. "They died and yet he made my mother believe that he loved her. He got her pregnant and then told her that it had all been a mistake because he still loved his first wife and son and told her that he didn't want to betray them. My mother died after I was born and _**he **_got stuck with me, always wishing I hadn't been born. If it meant bringing his first son back, he would gladly kill me! He's the one who should have been here! Not me!"

Sasuke coughed blood when Riku's foot pushed him harder against the crushed wall. It had never crossed his mind that Riku could be so miserable. He had always seemed so confident… His life seemed so perfect.

"So you see, Sasuke… that's why I don't care about what happens to me" the silver haired man continued, his sorrow masked under his coldness. "Shigeru is going to pay for what he did to me and my mother. Then, I will gladly disappear from this world. I never belonged here anyway" Riku looked deep into Sasuke's red eyes. "It's a shame, but you're nothing but a nuisance now. Farewell!"

Riku summoned his crystal sword again and aimed it at Sasuke's head. Fortunately, he wasn't aware of the Sharingan's abilities.

Sasuke took a kunai out of his punch so quickly that Riku didn't even see it. Then, the raven man kicked his opponent in the gut, sending him meters away which gave him the opportunity the grab _Kizuna_.

Riku frowned in both frustration and anger but quickly recovered from Sasuke's attack and the two former children clashed once again in the deadliest battle of their young lives. Riku was stronger, not only because of Nobunaga's enhancements but also because of his natural talent. However, Sasuke was faster, he blocked Riku's every move due to his Sharingan and his stamina and chakra reserves were amazingly high due to the Uzumaki blood running through his veins.

The raven wasn't even tired, but Riku was. That was his chance!

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

The fireball flew in Riku's direction and he tried to block it with his sword. When it him, a blast of smoke and debris exploded.

"Riku!" Shigeru screamed, the shock of what was happening giving him the strength to finally walk a few steps.

Sasuke's Sharingan saw Riku's chakra and he realized that the silver haired man had been able to effectively protect himself, though he was injured and tired. Not wanting to miss this opportunity, the raven Uzumaki jumped and, using the smoke as cover.

"Take this!" Sasuke yelled, disarming Riku's sword for the first time.

Still perplexed, Riku was too slow to stop Sasuke who punched him in the face and swiftly immobilized him on the floor, with Kizuna pointed to his chest.

"_I… lost…?"_ Riku thought, feeling his blood on his mouth and pain all over his body. _"How could… Sasuke defeat me? Why? Why… now? It's ruined. Everything is ruined…" _

"It's over, Riku" Sasuke said, his red eyes fixed on Riku's angry face. "You lost."

Riku just frowned. He seemed angry but not scared at all. In his ice blue eyes, all Sasuke could see was… resignation.

"Do it, Sasuke" Riku said, blood falling from his mouth. "Kill me."

"Don't!" a desperate voice cried out.

Both boys looked at Shigeru's injured shadow in the remaining smoke as he walked closer to them. The Sanada leader's face was pale and twisted, not only from the pain of his injuries but also from something much deeper.

Panic and despair.

"Don't kill him, Sasuke!" Shigeru yelled again. "Please don't kill him."

Sasuke removed his sword but he kept Riku immobilized. The latter, in turn, glared furiously at his injured father.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Riku yelled. "I didn't ask you to save me! You have no right! Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Your father!" Shigeru yelled back, his eyes as fiery as his son's. "No matter how many times you deny it, I'm always going to be your father, Riku!"

The silver haired boy gaped for a moment. It was the first time Shigeru had actually said that he was his father without any hesitancy or regret in his voice, but loud and clear. "It's too late for that… I've told you! You never acted as my father before, why the hell are you starting now?"

"Because I felt guilty" Shigeru said, continuing walking. "The moment I first held you in my arms, I loved you. Just like that! You were my baby boy. Then I thought about Hatori and what he would feel if he was there… I wondered if he would be sad and think that I was replacing him. Also, I wanted to keep my memories of him alive forever. But now… I realize that you and I don't have any memories to keep. We basically have no bond at all."

Riku continued glaring, but Sasuke noted something different in his chakra. It looked like doubt and… hope?

"I… It's not my fault…" Riku said, cursing himself for his breaking voice. "I never asked to be born. I never wanted to replace Hatori, but you blamed me."

"I know… I pushed you away deliberately" Shigeru continued. "I know you won't forgive me and you're right. I know we may never have the bond between father and son, maybe it's too late for that… But I want to try, I want to know you. That's why I won't let you die. I already lost one son, I won't lose another."

Sasuke realized that Riku's muscles had completely relaxed. His chakra was in turmoil due to his confusing emotions, but the silver haired man seemed to be in shock. Following his instinct, the raven released him and stepped back.

"I tried to make you love me but you just… ignored me" Riku said slowly, tears brimming in his eyes. "I didn't understand why you loved Hatori so much and not me. What is wrong with me? What did he have that I didn't?"

"Nothing" Shigeru said, now close enough to touch his youngest son if he tried. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with you, Riku. You're so special in your own way and I'm an idiot for not seeing that sooner. I always heard how everyone praised you and I heard all about what you did at school… but from now on, I don't want to hear it from someone else anymore. I want to see you with my own eyes. Even if you push me away now, even if you can't forgive me, I'm going to be there and see my son grow up into the powerful warrior I see now. Because I love you."

Shigeru stretched his hand towards Riku, a gentle smile on his lips, just like in the photos he had taken with Hatori. The young man was scared that it had all been an act, an illusion or a dream. What if what he had just heard were lies?

But, Shige… Tou-san was smiling. He was actually smiling at him. What if he was telling him the truth?

The moment a single tear ran down Riku's cheek, he felt his head a lot lighter, like something that had been clouding his mind suddenly lifted. So slowly, and filled with hope, Riku stretched his hand back.

"That's enough!" a furious voice screamed and a dark purple chakra fell upon Riku, punching both Sasuke and Shigeru while trapping Riku inside a barrier.

Shigeru was dragged along the ground until he hit a rock. Sasuke was thrown into the air, colliding with the ceiling, his Sharingan eyes widening from the pain before becoming black again, and then he fell to the ground.

The raven's head was spinning and his vision blurred, though he still could see Riku restrained by glowing seals while Nobunaga loomed over him with a smirk.

* * *

**And I ended with a cliffy… again. Please don't kill me!**

**As for a tiny preview, next chapter Sasuke is going to create an original jutsu whose idea came from KizaruBoss1, who I'm thanking in advance! **

**Last chapter I didn't get much reviews, so I suppose you guys didn't like it very much, huh? T^T**

**Well… I hope this one is better. Thank for reading!**

**See ya!**


	54. Light

**Hi again! **

**This chapter is what happens when I get Naruto Ultimate Ninja Generations, Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance on my head at the same time. **

**The action scenes felt a bit rushed, but I told you I'm not that good at them.**

**Also, thanks to KizaruBoss1 for the concept of Sasuke's jutsu. I was the one who named it. And no, I won't change Sasuke's hair to blond.**

**I hope you like this!**

**Spoiler Warning: Kyuubi's real name!**

* * *

**Light**

光 (Hikari)

Naruto didn't feel anything. His mind was completely numb, as if he was awakening from a long sleep. Except… he knew he wasn't awake, but he wasn't sleeping either.

Everything was black, so he didn't know whether he was with his eyes closed or opened, but it didn't matter. Actually, nothing mattered. He felt too numb to care about anything anymore. All his life he had felt too much, maybe now it was time to stop.

His heart was too tired because of all that emotion and it broke. His heart broke too many times. Right now, he just wanted to rest and let his broken heart heal.

"_**Who do want to keep you safe?"**_a voice asked in the darkness.

Immediately, Naruto thought of his parents. It was weird because he could remember their features very precisely; he could remember their voices, their touch, and how they talked, how they smelled…

"Tou-chan… Kaa-chan…" he said, though he couldn't feel his mouth moving at all. "I miss them. I wanted to be with them longer. I want them to make the pain go away."

"_**Who do you want to see again?"**_

Jiraiya. Ero-Sennin… He wanted him to be alive and watch over him forever. He wanted his master to see him become Hokage.

"_**Who is precious to you?"**_

His comrades. His friends. His mentors and teachers. All the people he met and became his friend. The people from his village. His team.

"_**What is your biggest regret?"**_

Not being able to stop Sasuke from leaving. Yes… that was his deepest scar on his heart. No matter how deep he buried that pain, it would always be there, hurting.

Naruto felt himself being pulled deeper into the darkness. He should be scared of it but, the truth was… he didn't feel hurt anymore. He felt so at ease and relaxed, remembering his happiest days. Was it so wrong to give in?

So Uzumaki Naruto let himself go and decided to plunge deep into happier memories.

* * *

Not for the first time, the great Nine-Tailed Fox tried to break free from his cage. He scratched and punched the bars with all the strength he had, he threw himself against them and even tried to use his Tailed Beast Ball. Nothing worked, it was useless.

Only Naruto could release him, but Naruto wasn't there anymore.

Kurama knew something very wrong happened the moment Sasuke pierced Naruto with that damn crystal sword. It wasn't the wound that bothered him, Naruto had survived far worse, it was what was invading Naruto's body. Those seemingly harmless crystals that covered his wound and got into his bloodstream.

Maybe his jinchūriki would have been able to fight them if he hadn't willingly offered all of his and Kurama's chakra to that Uchiha maniac. If hatred could blind someone so could love, and Naruto loved that cursed brat too much. Naruto wanted to save Sasuke and everyone else in the islands, even at the expense of his own life.

Naruto knew he would be in death-like sleep like the others, but something else happened instead because of the crystallized injury. It had nothing to do with that egomaniac spirit guy, Kurama knew that much. It was the crystal.

It seemed impossible but the crystal itself had taken Naruto's soul away from his body. No matter how much Kurama tried to stop it and wake the blond, he was unable to help behind his bars and had to watch powerlessly while Naruto's soul was stolen.

One would think that now that Naruto was gone, Kurama could take over his body completely… but he couldn't. First, he was still caged inside Naruto's subconscious and, again, only the blond was able to open his cage. Second of all, the Fox wouldn't steal Naruto's body.

Naruto had been the only human, aside from the old Sage of the Six Paths, that had wanted to build a relationship with Kurama. He didn't see him as a chakra monster or a weapon to be used. Naruto had wanted to be his friend, even after Kurama had tried to take over his body so many times, even after he had hurt his friends, destroyed his village, killed his parents and made his life miserable.

Naruto _**still**_ wanted to be his friend.

"_You aren't a monster fox anymore. You're one of my team-mates from Konoha… Kurama" _Narutohad said during the war.

The Fox had been unwilling to let Naruto know his feelings, but he suspected that loudmouth jinchūriki of his already knew that he also thought of him as a friend no matter how much he denied it.

"_**Now my friend his gone"**_ Kurama thought, filled with a sadness and worry that didn't suit him.

It was Sasuke's fault. It was always Sasuke's fault. He was the one who kept causing Naruto pain over and over, yet that stupid blond still loved him. And that love just grew stronger and stronger ever since Naruto had picked up his regressed _"best friend"_ and looked after him instead of killing him on the spot like a reasonable person.

Naruto was never reasonable when it came to Sasuke.

Kurama knew the adoption was a bad idea from the start. He knew Sasuke would betray Naruto sooner or later. It was on his blood, his damn Uchiha blood, changing Sasuke's surname wasn't going to change who he really was: a selfish, cruel, arrogant, cold, power hungry bastard who didn't deserve half the tears Naruto had cried for him.

Still, Naruto's blood was inside him now, along with his chakra. Though Kurama hated to admit it, Sasuke was, for all intents and purposes, Naruto's child. He was the only one who could save him.

And, right now, he was losing against the spirit. Kurama could sense his chakra growing weaker.

"**Typical!"** the Fox groaned. **"When we need you, you're completely useless."**

There had to be something Kurama could do. He had felt a small connection with the babies his female jinchūriki carried in their wombs, but he never bothered to exploit it because he was more concerned about breaking the seal during their labor. He knew his chakra had also been used during the babies' gestation, which explained Naruto's whisker marks on his cheeks.

He had never tried to "_communicate"_ with a child of his jinchūriki, let alone an adopted one. But Sasuke was Naruto's kid and an Uchiha, anything was possible.

Kurama knew he couldn't use much of his chakra or Naruto's body would definitely die, he also knew he only had one chance do this since the adult-brat was barely conscious. He couldn't miss.

* * *

Riku screamed in pain as the seal around his body paralyzed all of his muscles. Then, several red ropes of chakra banded his wrists, legs and neck, painfully immobilizing him.

"What the hell is this?" the silver haired man asked, trying to free himself in vain. "Let go of me!"

"Not a chance, you stupid boy" Nobunaga answered with displeasure, his crystallized body moving in Riku's direction and stopping right at the edge of the barrier. "You could have had your revenge. I gave you the power to do it, but instead you decide to run into your Daddy's arms like a pathetic child."

Despite his pain and worry, Riku managed to remain calm and actually grimed at the malevolent ghost. "Too bad, Nobunaga. You forgot one thing… I really am a child. You shouldn't rely on my decisions. I don't want to be your vessel anymore, sorry."

The spirit smirked. "Oh! That's not your decision, Riku. It never was."

The purple seals on the floor started glowing and slowly moving towards Riku, going up his skin.

"What are you doing?" Riku asked, his blue eyes wide as the seals moved.

"I'm making you my vessel, of course. Once all the seals are in their right position, your body will be ready to receive my soul. I've waited too long for this… I won't let you or anyone stand in my way!"

"Don't count on it!"

A sword stabbed the crystallized ghost right through the chest. Nobunaga looked at it, his eyes wide with surprise.

"What?" the ghost asked. Behind him, injured and bleeding, Shigeru stood proudly, his eyes staring at the ghost with fury.

"You should have known, Nobunaga" Shigeru said. "Never underestimate a Sanada. I won't let you take my son away from me. Leave my family alone!"

With those words, the samurai removed his sword from Nobunaga's chest and swiftly decapitated the crystal creature, which fell to the ground and shattered into million pieces.

"Tou-san! You did it" Riku said, although, when Shigeru looked at him, he instinctively looked away in shame. "Tou-san… I'm…"

"Don't apologize yet" Shigeru said, moving towards the shinning barrier. "You and I are going to have a very long talk after all this chaos his over. There are a lot of things I want to say… But now I'm going to get you out of that thing."

"I… I hurt you" Riku said, looking at his father's wounds. "Are you okay?"

"I'm stronger than I look. Besides, I can't allow myself to die" the Sanada leader said, while looking at the complex barrier. "What would Hatori say if I couldn't save his little brother? Both he and your mother would never forgive me."

Riku lifted his face at looked at his father through his fringe, his mouth twitching into a tempting smile.

"Now let's focus on dispelling this barrier, alright?" Shigeru went on.

All of a sudden, Nobunaga's headless appeared and kicked Shigeru on the back, sending him flying across the floor.

"Tou-san!" Riku yelled, trying to free himself from the red ropes in vain.

Shigeru tried to stand but his arms were unable to lift him. He looked at the crystal body which, to his utter horror, was reforming itself. Finally, Nobunaga's head reappeared and he gazed at both father and son with a grin.

"You're the one who shouldn't underestimate me, Sanada" the crystal ghost said. "I've told you before, didn't I? I studied the crystal's powers. I know how to use them to my advantage. No matter how many times you try to destroy me, I'll just remake myself. No one can stop me" he looked at Riku again. "This crystal body his nice, but I can't wait to be able to feel again with a real body. I can control the crystal just fine even if I become human" around Nobunaga, several crystals appeared, reshaping into kunai. "It was a pleasure knowing you, Sanada Shigeru. However… it's time to say farewell."

"WAIT! STOP!" Riku cried out in desperation. "Don't hurt him! Please! You can have my body, there's no need to kill him. You got what you wanted, so just leave him alone."

The ghost stared at Riku for a few seconds before smirking at his distressed face. "Very well… I won't hurt him, Riku. You will" Riku gaped and his blue eyes grew even wider. "It will be a lot more fun to kill him using your body. Oh! Don't make that face. You won't even notice, because you won't be here at all."

Riku winced in pain as the seals moved even closer. His heart was beating in his ears and his eyes were burning. It was the end; there was nothing he could do.

There was nothing anyone could do.

* * *

Sasuke had tried to activate the Sharingan while Shigeru was looking for a way to release Riku from the barrier. The raven thought he saw the crystals merging together, but he wasn't sure. He wanted to use his Sharingan to improve his vision but he felt too lightheaded and tired. Because of his hesitation, because he relied too much on his eyes, he didn't warn Shigeru on time and the samurai was kicked by the damn ghost.

His body hurt all over and he had used too much of his chakra during his fight with Riku. He had no idea the Sharingan consumed so much chakra. He shouldn't have used for so long.

He should have known better. Naruto had warned him before.

* * *

_"Your dōjutsu is called Sharingan. It evolves the more you use it, gaining new skills," Naruto said. "However, there are risks. The Sharingan spends chakra. Since you just began your ninja training, you don't have enough chakra to keep it active for a long time. "_

_"That's why I got dizzy?"_

_Naruto nodded, his face uncharacteristically serious._

_"It's dangerous to exhaust your chakra reserves. You can even die," the blond said seriously. "You activated the Sharingan for the first time during Akane's fight and you stayed with it active until you fainted."_

_"Was it because of this that I got sick?" the boy asked, remembering how his body had ached all over, his fever and fatigue had felt horrible not so long ago._

_"Chakra exhaustion" said Naruto. "It's very dangerous and you scared the hell out of me. The Sharingan is a powerful tool and can really help you as a shinobi, but it also has its risks. You're still very young and your chakra reserves are low. Also... it can be stolen. "_

_"Stolen?" Sasuke asked astonished. "How can it be stolen? It's inside my eyes and..." as he understood what his father was saying, Sasuke turned pale with horror. "They can steal my eyes?"_

_Naruto nodded solemnly._

_"No way!" the raven replied, not wanting to believe in something that nasty. "That's disgusting! People don't go around ripping eyes out!"_

_"Unfortunately, they do," Naruto continued, there was no way to tone down that information. "The Sharingan is very rare and is very powerful as a weapon. Some ninja wouldn't hesitate one second to take off your eyes, to have it. Through a surgical operation, a person can transplant a dōjutsu to their eyes and get their powers."_

_Sasuke gulped._

_"So what do I do? You don't want me to use the Sharingan? "_

_"It's not that. You can use it, I just want you to promise me you'll be careful," the blond said, staring at Sasuke with a stern look as the raven realized that his father couldn't be talking more seriously. "It's dangerous to let people know you have a Sharingan, so I want you to promise me you won't use it for nothing or brag about it."_

_"I won't brag" the child replied. "And I'm not stupid."_

_"I never thought you were" Naruto replied smoothly. "The Sharingan is powerful, so I want you to use it with caution. You can make yourself very strong with those eyes, but you don't need to rely on them to be a good shinobi. Never forget that. "_

* * *

Sasuke felt his head dizzy and his vision blurred, both because he hit his head against the ceiling and because he knew he had overused his Sharingan. He had been overconfident and careless with his kekkei genkai.

* * *

_"I'll be careful with my eyes" the raven said. "I promise."_

_Naruto smiled and stroked his hair._

_"I know" the blond said. "I trust you."_

* * *

"_Tou-chan… I'm sorry. I broke my promise."_ Sasuke thought sorrowfully, his vision going from hazy to darkness as he lost consciousness.

The raven man didn't notice, no one did, but when he had carried a wounded Naruto, some of the blond's blood drooped to the raven's shirt and then to the skin on his back. The small amount of blood was absorbed by the skin and, just like seven years ago, the mark of a Red Phoenix reappeared on Sasuke's back.

"_I couldn't save Daddy… I can't save anyone" _Sasuke thought, surrounded by darkness. _"I'm such a loser! I let him down!"_

"**Geez! What a surprise!" **

Sasuke opened his eyes. To his surprise, he was in some sort of sewer system. There was water all around him so he stood up. Everything was dead silent except for the drops of water from his hair and clothes.

"Where am I?" the raven asked, looking all around him. Had he died and this was the afterlife? Or was this another trick made by Nobunaga? He could have sworn he heard another voice. "Who's there?"

A deep, resonating voiced started laughing. The sound came from everywhere.

"Who are you? Show yourself?" Sasuke asked.

"**Still keeping your bravado, I see"** the voice sneered, while Sasuke turned around to try to find its source. **"My, my, Sasuke. You haven't changed a bit."**

The raven almost screamed as a huge amount of orange bubbles appeared on the water and he watched, with his mouth open in awe, as they moved to form a giant… fox?

"What…? What the hell are you?" Sasuke asked, though he couldn't mask the fear he felt for that thing. "How do you know my name?"

The fox's gaze was filled with hate. Its glowing red eyes and sharp teeth made it look like a demon. Sasuke could feel a powerful chakra coming from it. He never felt something like it and it scared him.

"**I thought that some memory of me would still remain on your pathetic little mind"** the Fox said. **"Well… it doesn't matter. It would take a long time to explain it all to you and time is something Naruto doesn't have."**

Sasuke blinked and his stance became rigid with confusion and worry. "What are you talking about? How do you know my father?"

"**Hmph! **_**Father**_**?"** the Fox laughed bitterly. **"You still have the nerve to call him that, after all the horrible things you did to him?"**

Sasuke's eyes grew even wider and the weight on his chest became heavier. "How do you know?"

"**It doesn't matter how I know. The thing is that I saw everything that happened between you two"** Kurama went on. **"I saw the way you mistreated Naruto even though he gave you nothing but love. I heard your spiteful words, not just now but all throughout your whole life. I saw your cruelty and arrogance towards the person you call "father"."**

Sasuke's eyes were the color of a bruise. The raven opened his mouth to refute, he wanted to tell that stupid fox to mind him own business, tell him that he didn't know anything about him or Naruto and what he said was completely wrong. However, no sound came out of his mouth.

"**Naruto made a terrible mistake to take an ungrateful brat like you into his family. No real son would hurt his own father the way you did"** the Fox continued, staring right into Sasuke's distressed eyes. **"He could have had anyone. Naruto could have built his own family and be happy instead of trying to constantly fight for some of your tiny affection. He gave you all his heart and you continuously threw it away like trash. The only person you ever cared about was yourself!"**

"No… It's not… I'm not…" Sasuke stammered, tears behind his eyes.

"**You're not what? A horrible human being? A terrible son? Is that what you're saying?"**

Sasuke lowered his face, his eyes covered by his black fringe.

"**Naruto loves you like no one else in this world, but all you do to repay his love is breaking his heart over and over"** Kurama roared, unmoved by the boy's genuine sorrow. **"He made you his own child and, when you found out the truth, you yelled at him, called him a liar and ran away to find your **_**"real"**_** parents like he meant nothing. Then, as soon as he told you more things about your biological family, you pushed him aside because the fact that you resembled them was a lot more important than the person who loved and looked after you for years."**

"No! I didn't feel that" Sasuke whimpered, tears running down his face. "I love Tou-chan more than anything in the world! You're wrong! "

"**Am I? If you love your "father" as much as you say, then why did you give up and stopped trying to save him?"**

Sasuke blinked.

"**It's true that I don't know a lot about this"** the Fox said. **"But even a demon like me knows that when someone truly important to us is in danger, we never stop trying to save them. If it was you in a death state, Naruto would fight gods to bring you back. He would do anything and he would never stop until he died, which is someone as heartless and self-centered as you could never understand."**

"Shut up" Sasuke whimpered, his fists closed tightly and his shoulders shaking. "I did… I did everything I could to save him! I tried, but I can't compare myself to my Dad! I'm just… not strong enough."

"**Not strong enough, huh?"** the Fox replied. **"I guess you are right. Someone like you, weak and too focused on self-pity, could never be his true heir."**

Sasuke stopped shaking. "Wha…?"

"**You're nothing like Naruto. I don't expect you two to have a real father-son bond" **Kurama went on with a sneer**. "It doesn't matter that his chakra and his blood runs through your veins, you never listened to his words and dismissed what he taught you. I guess Naruto was fooling himself when he believed that you would be his child. All of his words fell on deaf ears, you never…"**

"Enough!" Sasuke yelled, interrupting the giant Fox. "What do you know about me and my father? What gives you the right to say that I never listened to what he said? You don't know anything about me! Nothing at all!"

* * *

_"Remember when I said that I had given you my blood when I adopted you?" the blond asked. Sasuke nodded slowly, looking up momentarily from the chakra. "Well... I gave you this as well."_

_Sasuke continued to stare at the blue force in front of him._

_"This is... chakra?" the boy asked._

_"Yeah" Naruto held out his hand with chakra to Sasuke. Carefully, the child stretched out his cupped hands and received the chakra, which flickered slightly between his and Naruto's fingers like a blue flame._

_"It's warm..." the raven murmured._

_"Yeah... and do you see how it is oscillating? This means that is resonating" Naruto said, staring at Sasuke through the bright chakra. "It doesn't hurt you... because you and I have similar chakra. The chakra that I gave you is mixed with the chakra that you had inherited from your parents, but mine is there too... within you. "_

_Sasuke felt the warm energy in the palm of their hands._

_"The chakra is really inside me?"_

_"Yes. I still don't know what or how much you have inherited from me for sure... but it's there."_

_"So ... you and I are alike?"_

_"I am your second Tou-chan" Naruto said cheerfully. "For better or for worse, you also have a part of me inside you."_

* * *

"I know that what I've done to Tou-chan is unforgivable" Sasuke said, staring at the demon Fox with tears still running down his face. "I know I don't deserve to be his son after all I did. He deserved a lot better than me, but I…"

* * *

_"The Sharingan is part of your strength" Naruto continued, lifting Sasuke's chin with his thumb. "I have my powers and you have yours. I want you to follow your own path, with your own strength. So one day, you'll be able to surpass me."_

_Sasuke was taken aback by that statement "You want me to be more powerful than you?"_

_"Sure I do!" Naruto answered with his famous grin. "You're my heir. I want you be more powerful than I ever was."_

* * *

Sasuke's fists were clenched tight and a stream of tears kept running down his cheeks, however, his eyes shone with determination. He wasn't going to back down on his words; he meant every single one of them.

"He told me before, but I didn't really understand it. However, I know it now" the raven said to the giant fox, his weepy eyes staring straight at it. "We're connected! Tou-chan and I are connected! Both by blood, by chakra and will. His will is inside me! I cherish everything he taught me and I want him to teach me even more. He took me out of the darkness every time I got lost in my own misery. He was always my light and now… it's my turn to shine for him. I'll bring him back! I'm gonna save him and our family!"

Kurama looked surprised for a moment, and then he smirked. **"Big words brat, but words aren't enough to bring Naruto back" **he answered, cynical. **"You're a dark being, Sasuke. You always were. You talk so freely about light, when the darkness in your heart is as black as your eyes. You're evil, not a savior. How can someone like you save Naruto?"**

Sasuke placed a hand on his chest. He knew what the Fox was saying was absolutely true. He was dark. There was a place in his heart, a place he tried to forget it even existed, that was filled with a terrible darkness. It was cold, evil and overflowing with hatred.

That was Sasuke's personal monster. Lurking inside his heart, waiting to take over his heart and soul and twist every happy memory and feeling he had into something horrible. Maybe there was no way to get rid of that. Maybe that was who he really was inside. But…

* * *

_"Sasuke?"_

_"Hm?"_

_"Would you really go after me on a ship?"_

_"Of course I would."_

_"Wouldn't you be scared?" Naruto asked, opening the front door with one hand and holding the child with the other. "What if I was very far away? What if it was dangerous? "_

_"I'd still go after you" Sasuke replied, unwavering. "Even if it was dangerous, I would go after you and bring you home. No matter what happened, I'd definitely bring you back. "_

_Naruto opened his blue eyes in disbelief. "What if I were in danger or didn't want to come back?" the blond asked. "What would you do?"_

_Sasuke thought for several seconds before answering._

_"I would save you. I'd dragged you home if I had to; even if I had to beat you."_

_Naruto raised a blond eyebrow._

_"Are you saying that you would beat me up to bring me home?"_

_"I'd bring you back home even if I had to break both your arms and legs."_

* * *

"I _**will**_ save him, just like I promised" Sasuke replied. "It doesn't matter what happens to me, I'll save Tou-chan. I can do it, he believed in me" Sasuke's smiled, his expression unwavering. "I'm his son, after all. Daddy was a big hero and I can be one too! I won't let him down, so let me go back to the battle you stupid fox!"

Kurama was able to hide his dismay at Sasuke's words and attitude, but just barely. The brat really looked like Naruto; he could sense the blond's presence inside that boy. Perhaps the adoption hadn't been so pointless after all.

"**Hmph! You've got some nerve, brat. No one besides Naruto had the balls to defy me like that"** the Kyuubi said, smirking. **"Very well, you can go back to the battlefield, but before that, let me give you something."**

Sasuke blinked and stepped back when the Fox raised a giant arm over his head. Suddenly, the raven felt his whole body warm and stinging. "What did you do to me?"

Kurama smiled again. **"I tried to awaken a bit of Naruto's power within your blood. Not even I know what it will happen, but I had to try something. Now go! Don't you dare break your promise again, brat!"**

The bubbles exploded and Sasuke closed his eyes due to a blinding light.

* * *

Back in the real world, only a few seconds had gone by. Sasuke reopened his eyes and saw Nobunaga still standing in front of Riku, taunting him as the seals moved up his body.

The raven felt something different about his body. Sasuke didn't know it but thanks to Kurama's chakra and the reappeared Red Phoenix's Seal on his back, Naruto's DNA broadened from Sasuke's blood and was incorporated into the rest of his body.

Sasuke felt his wounds healing faster, and his sore body restoring. He also felt something strange on his eyes, like an insignificant itch. It wasn't the same sensation he felt when he activated his Sharingan, so it wasn't that. However, that wasn't important at the moment.

"Get away from Riku" Sasuke said, slowly getting up.

Both Nobunaga and Riku stared at him with very different expressions on their faces.

"Hm? You can still move?" the ghost sneered. "I'll admit… I underestimated you, Konoha boy. But your fate won't change; you're just delaying the inevitable."

"Sasuke! Don't be an idiot! Run away!" Riku cried out at his classmate, if there was a way to save the life of one person before he merged with that ghastly guy he would take it. "You can't win against him. No matter how many times you attack, he'll regenerate. So just run while you still can!"

"Shut up! I won't run away" Sasuke said, finally standing up and lifting his eyes to face Nobunaga and Riku while he touched Naruto's forehead protector on his belt. "You better remember my name in the afterlife, Nobunaga. My name is Uzumaki Sasuke, son of Uzumaki Naruto from Konoha, and I'll be the death of you."

Riku gaped as he stared at his classmate. He could sense an enormous amount of chakra coming from him. A warm and white chakra filled with positive feelings. His body also seemed to be healing from his wounds very fast.

That was all very amazing, but what caught Riku's attention was the startling change in Sasuke's eyes.

"_His eyes are blue now"_ the silver haired boy thought in awe. _"They're deep blue… like ocean when it reflects the sky. How come his eyes keep changing color? First black, then red and now deep blue? Is this some kind of power he possesses?"_

In the mean time, Nobunaga didn't look surprised at all. Sasuke was just another obstacle in his plans. "You'll be the death of me, huh? Powerful words from such a pathetic child. Okay… As you wish, Uzumaki-sama. I accept your challenge! Show me what you're made off!"

The ghost jumped towards Sasuke, turning his hands into sharp swords. However, Sasuke waited until the last moment and swung to the left. In a few seconds he was able to grab _Kizuna_ again.

"Damn you!" Nobunaga said, creating several crystal kunai and throwing them in Sasuke's direction.

The blue eyed raven was able to deflect all the kunai with his chokutō, but Nobunaga didn't stop throwing them, hoping for them moment Sasuke let his guard down. He couldn't keep deflecting them forever.

The falling kunai practically destroyed the whole temple and a cloud of smoke surrounded them, created by the debris. Nobunaga was about to continue is attack when he noticed that all seals were in place in Riku's body.

"This is it… this is my moment" the deranged spirit said, running towards the immobilized young man.

At that moment, Sasuke jumped from the smoke and put himself in front of Riku. "I won't let you!"

"Sasuke! You dumbass! Get out!" Riku yelled.

"Too late" Nobunaga said, as he increased his speed and swiftly pierced the raven through his chest with his crystal sword.

Riku gaped in horror at the sight while the ghost smirked with delight. However, Sasuke's body never hit the floor. Instead, it burst into smoke.

"What?" Riku asked.

"Kage Bunshin?" Nobunaga said in disbelief.

The smoke cleared behind Nobunaga and Riku saw Sasuke jumping towards their enemy, his arms wide open with a huge amount of chakra on each hand.

Sasuke didn't know what he was doing; he decided to let his body fight. Unknowingly, the raven Uzumaki was focusing all of his chakra on both palms of his hands, where it became compacted by all its spinning, resulting in two huge amounts of energy. Then, Sasuke let his fire and wind affinity to combine with his right hand, while his lightning affinity merged with the chakra on his left palm.

His hands glowed intensely, whirlwind of fire surrounding his right hand while sparks of electricity flew from his left. Sasuke didn't know yet, but he was using his own and unique Kekkei tōta.

"What the hell is that?" Nobunaga asked, amazed for the first time but quickly getting over it. There was no way he could be defeated with the crystals power. "It doesn't matter what you do. It's all pointless!"

At the same time the ghost turned to attack Sasuke, the young man brought his two hands together and wind, fire and lightning merged together into a new element: light.

"Take this! _**Uzume!**_" the raven cried out as a huge ray of pure light clashed against the crystal body of Nobunaga.

The ghost still tried to regenerate, but it was impossible. The light element reduced every single anion, proton and neutron of his body into nothingness. Nobunaga was gone… forever.

When his attack was over Sasuke fell to the ground, painting and sweating. Both his hands felt sore, burned by his attack, and still trembled. He still didn't believe he had done it. He couldn't even understand how he had created such an attack. All he was thinking at the time was his father's Rasengan and wanting to make it even more powerful. He wasn't sure he could do that attack again.

Riku felt the barrier burst and the seals disappeared from his body along with the ropes. Still amazed by what had just happened, he moved towards Sasuke who was now kneeling on the floor.

"You okay?" Riku asked.

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah… I think so" the raven lifted his face and looked at Riku. "He's gone. It's finally over…"

Riku's eyes widened. Sasuke's irises were black again! What the hell had just happened? What was that eye shifting power?

"Huuh…" a voice whimpered from the other side of the destroyed temple, awaking Riku from his thoughts.

"Tou-san!" the young man yelled, running towards his wounded father and helping him sit down. "Tou-san, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Riku. Just a few starches and bruises that will heal in time" the older samurai said, staring at his son and smiling. "I'm just glad that you didn't become… I mean… I'm so happy he didn't take you."

Riku actually blushed and had to look away. He was very happy that his father was safe and that he really cared about him, still, this was a completely new territory for both of them. There was still a lot to do before they were truly comfortable with each other.

"Sasuke… You were amazing" Shigeru said, as Sasuke walked slowly towards them. "Your powers saved Riku and me. You saved us all."

"I… I didn't do anything really" Sasuke said, embarrassed. "I just did what I had to do."

"You are a savior" Shigeru went on with a kind smile. "Your father will be so proud of you."

Sasuke couldn't help it and smiled, his cheeks flushed. He couldn't wait to tell Daddy what had happened! He would…

"Wait a minute!" Riku said, interrupting Sasuke's thoughts. "Nobunaga was destroyed and… his crystal was destroyed, so that mean we should have gone back to normal and turned into kids again. Then why are we still adults?"

Sasuke's blinked and stared at his body attentively, waiting for any change. There was none, he wasn't regressing back into a child. Neither was Riku.

"Why aren't we turning back to normal?" the raven asked, looking at Riku and Shigeru who also looked distressed and confused. "If we're not changing back, then…"

Shigeru leaned on Riku and stood up, despite his broken leg. "Let's go back to the Islands!"

* * *

It was difficult carrying Shigeru and walking on water with their small chakra reserves, but the three of them managed to reach the main Island.

As soon as they arrived, they were surrounded by the other adult-children who had broken free from Nobunaga's control and demanded to know what had happened to them and if they really had done all those things to their families.

Most of them were in panic, crying or frozen with fear and guilt, so Riku had to step up and tell them to calm down because panicking wasn't going to help them. Before he could say something to Sasuke, the raven had already jumped to the roofs, trying to get to his home as fast as possible.

"Please be okay, Tou-chan" Sasuke thought, his feeling of dread growing on his chest. "Please…"

When Sasuke got to their mansion, it was as silent as he had left it. Though he was exhausted, the raven opened the door and ran straight to Naruto's bedroom. "Tou-chan? Tou-chan, are you there? Answer me! Please, answ…"

Sasuke froze at Naruto's door. The blond ninja was still lying on his bed, unconscious. His breathing very faint and his skin pale like a corpse's.

"Daddy? Daddy, wake up" Sasuke pleaded, moving to Naruto's side and grabbing his cold hand. "You gotta wake up now! I defeated the bad guy who was doing this to you. You have to wake up… so please… open your eyes, Daddy. I… beg you!"

Sasuke shook his father innumerous times. He yelled and he cried, but nothing worked. Naruto wouldn't wake up. None of the adults had woken up.

This wasn't over yet.

* * *

Kakashi climbed the stairs towards the cemetery with a laid-back expression on his face. Like usual, he had lost track of time when he was visiting the memorial stone. In his mind, he had carried a very long conversion, though one-sided, with Obito, Rin and Sensei. He had told them everything that he had done and shared with them his doubts, especially regarding what to do regarding Naruto and Sasuke.

He had no proof aside from his suspicions and a feeling in his gut that told him that his fallen student was still alive. He also didn't have any tangible proof that Naruto had ran off from Konoha and the shinobi world to hide Sasuke.

There were just too many questions on his mind. Even if his suspicions were true, why would Naruto betray the village and hide Sasuke? Why would the Hokage, Iruka and Shikamaru go along with that plan? Did Naruto really had a child or was that just a lie to throw them off?

How and why had Sasuke stopped his path of revenge and destruction?

Kakashi had to admit to himself that it would be a lot easier to believe Tsunade's words and leave Naruto be. However… he just couldn't let his doubt go. He had to know the truth about his students' fate, no matter how painful it was.

Like he expected, Shikamaru was at Asuma's grave with his lighter on, which was the only light in that darkness.

Kakashi knew the Nara genius knew he was there, his posture became slightly rigid but he didn't turn around to face him.

"Going for a night walk, Kakashi-sensei?" the young man asked, not a bit surprised.

"Just trying to clear my head" the white haired sensei answered. "I couldn't sleep… there's a lot on my mind lately. Things that I don't understand."

Shikamaru closed the lighter and put his hands on his pockets. "You mean Naruto, right? And Sasuke…"

Kakashi remained silent, while Shikamaru finally turned around to face him. For several moments, neither one spoke, they just stared deep into each other's eyes.

"Shikamaru… You know what I already suspect" Kakashi went on. "Iruka and Tsunade-sama know it too, that's why we've all been so evasive. You have the answers about what really happened that night, seven years ago. You know what happened to Naruto and Sasuke."

Shikamaru didn't answer for while, instead he opened Asuma's lighter again. "What happened that night is top secret information" the young man said, looking at the flame. "Aside from me, my teammates, Iruka-sensei, Shizune, Tsunade-sama and Gaara no one else is supposed to know."

"Huh? Gaara knows it too?" Kakashi asked. So two Kages knew what had happened, but not the rest of the shinobi world.

"Gaara was the first to know, actually. Naruto told the Hokage a few months later. The rest of us… well… we all find out accidently. So you see, Kakashi-sensei? I'm not allowed to share that information with anyone. It was an order from the Hokage. If I told you, I would be a traitor to the village."

Kakashi frowned. "I see…"

Shikamaru smiled and turned around, placing the lighter on the grave. "I heard you've been working non-stop for years. You should take a vacation already, you deserve it. I think you should do some travelling."

"Travelling?" Kakashi asked, genuinely curious. "And where do you suggest I should go?"

"Oh, I don't know… I think a few days on a beach would be very relaxing" Shikamaru grabbed the lighter, turned around and walked past Kakashi with a sly smile. "Do you know about the Unmei Islands?"

"I've heard about them. They said their samurai are very strong" Kakashi replied.

"Well… They have pretty nice beaches. You should consider checking them out if you decide to go on a vacation."

"Really? I'll think about it" Kakashi said, watching as Shikamaru walked away and disappeared from his sight.

* * *

**If you're wondering, yes! Nobunaga is gone for good, but the threat still remains. I told you there was more to Naruto's coma, didn't I?**

**Sasuke's kekkei tōta is a mix of Fire, Wind and Lightning which formed light. I named it Uzume, who is a Shinto goddess of dawn, mirth and revelry, on the same level of Amaterasu and Izanagi. **

**BTW, would it be totally selfish on my behalf if I made you guys a contest? **

**Well, to those who are interested, I would like to propose if anyone would like to do a "Phoenix Rising" trailer. You can use any footage from the series and even from the Ultimate Ninja Generations cutscenes or the recent ova. Any song is good, as long as it's fitting. **

**One idea would be Naruto and Sasuke's fight in the beginning of chapter 3. You can make baby and/or child Sasuke appear, though I know that's difficult.**

**Those you are interested in participating please inform me and tell me where I can see the trailer. If no one wants to do this, I totally I understand. **

**That aside, I hope you liked this chapter. Please tell me your thoughts, I love to read them!**

**See ya later!**


	55. Dream and Nightmare

**Hi! I've reached the 2000 reviews! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I swear, I never thought I would this far. Also, the Phoenix Rising Wiki has been born, thanks to NarutoGirlAddict (you are AWESOME!). The link is on my profile page! Feel free to see it and I'll apreciate your help with the editing if you want ^_^**

**As for the amv/trailer, there's no time limit. I just want to see the video, to those who are interested.**

**Well, here's the chapter.**

* * *

**Dream and Nightmare**

夢と悪夢 _(Yume to akumu)_

Kakashi had been jumping from tree to tree for five hours straight when he finally stopped. He was being followed.

The white haired Jōnin waited a few seconds, apparently at rest. However, his nose was twitching inside his mask, until he recognized the scent of his pursuers. Slowly, he lowered his head and his tense muscles relaxed.

"Impressive. I didn't notice you until now" Kakashi said, without turning around. "How long have you been following me, Tenzo?"

A man dressed in a Jōnin vest, similar to Kakashi's, moved away from the tree where he was hiding. His black eyes fixed on his former senpai.

"You promised you weren't going to call me by that name again, Kakashi-senpai" Yamato said.

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "Sorry, Yamato. It slipped, but you haven't answered my question."

"Right to the point, huh? Well… I'd say just after you left the village, two weeks ago" the younger man said.

"Oh" Kakashi looked at another tree, only a few meters from Yamato. "I assume it was your idea. Right, Sai?"

A twenty-five year old young man reappeared on the tree branch, smiling at his former team captain.

"As expected from Kakashi-sensei. I knew you were going to notice us sooner or later" Sai said. He was wearing a suit which was very similar to the one he wore when he was in Team 7, instead of his normal ANBU uniform.

"Why did you guys follow me?" the white haired man asked. "You must know that I'm going on vacation. That's what I told Tsunade-sama."

"Sensei… you wouldn't gear up if you planned on taking a break" Sai said, this time serious. "We know what you said to the Hokage and we know that you've hidden shinobi supplies in the woods near Konoha. When you went there to get them, I knew you weren't going on a vacation."

"Again, I'm impressed Sai. I didn't notice that you were watching me. Maybe I am getting soft on my old age" Kakashi said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Then... what is it that you want?"

Sai's black eyes were fixed on Kakashi with unwavering determination. "You were the only one who remained suspicious when Shikamaru and the others told us about Naruto, even if you didn't say a word about it. When I heard that you were going on a _"vacation"_ I knew that you had found out something. That is why I decided to tell Yamato-taichou and we followed you."

"I see… Why didn't you tell Sakura as well?" Kakashi asked.

"I needed to make sure" Sai answered. "I want to know what Naruto is hiding from us before I tell her. Of all of us, Sakura was the one who suffered the most when Naruto went to kill Sasuke. The team she cherished was destroyed and she lost not one, but two people that she loved. That is why you didn't her your suspicions either, right Kakashi-sensei?"

"You're correct" Kakashi answered. "Another thing… why didn't you two reveal yourselves sooner? Why now?"

"I guess we feared you wouldn't let us accompany you if we were still close to the village" Yamato replied. "It would be a huge waste of time sending us away now when we're so close to our destination, senpai."

The wind was blowing around them, the gentle breeze of the ocean that wasn't so far away. They were only a few kilometers from the port, from there it was only a boat ride to the Unmei Islands.

"It can't be helped, huh?" Kakashi sighed, looking at his teammates. "Alright, we'll go together."

Sai smiled with relief, he wasn't exactly sure Kakashi would let them join him. "Thank you, sensei."

"Kakashi-senpai, I have to ask… where exactly are we going?" Yamato asked.

"To the Unmei Islands" he answered. "We should be there tonight."

"Is Naruto there?" Yamato asked.

"Yeah, I believe he's been living there" Kakashi said, turning around and staring at the blue ocean, visible in the horizon. "No… I guess the right word would be _**hiding**_ there, with the Hokage's approval though."

Sai blinked, confused. "Why would Naruto hide? He doesn't have any motives to do that."

"He's not hiding himself" Kakashi corrected. "I believe his hiding someone else who's been staying with him all this time… Someone who wouldn't be very welcome in Konoha or in any other country."

Both Yamato and Sai gaped, their eyes wide in disbelief.

"Kakashi-sensei… you don't mean…?" Sai stammered, still trying to believe what he just heard.

"Yes… Sasuke" Kakashi said, once again jumping to the next tree.

* * *

After two weeks, nothing had changed in the Unmei Islands. Despite everyone's efforts, no one could understand why the islanders were still in the Death Sleep or why the former children were still adults despite Nobunaga's destruction.

The only _real_ adult conscious was Shigeru, but he needed to rest because of his injuries. Therefore, Riku had assumed his father's place as a leader and took upon himself the responsibility to guide his fellow islanders before they succumbed into their own guilt and despair. Keeping them busy and give them a purpose and hope seemed to work.

First, they made sure everybody who was sleeping was safe and stabilized. Riku himself made a list of all the adults and babies who were in a coma, and then he gave each one of the adult-kids the task of checking their families' health and visit those who were sleeping but didn't have children. The weaker ones, like pregnant woman, newborn babies and the elderly were taken to the Island's hospital and were monitored 24 hours a day. Riku made it perfectly clear that he wouldn't allow any deaths.

Also they had found out another serious problem when some of them tried to ask for help from the exterior by sailing, since all their messenger birds were sleeping as well. There was a huge barrier surrounding all the Islands. No matter how much they tried, no one could dispel it. They were all stuck there, with no help from the outside world.

Food and water had to be given carefully, as well as other supplies. Riku gave tasks to everyone and urged them to work together so they could clean the mess they made. Every morning they would meet and discuss what had and hadn't changed, and then, decide what to do next.

Sasuke had to admit that Riku was an extraordinary leader who not only managed to keep everything organized, but also keep them calm and working as a huge team. However, the raven could feel the anxiety growing on each of his comrades' faces as each day went by. Sure, they had avoided chaos but everything was still the same.

No one knew how long their families could survive like that, but they knew they were growing weaker and closer to death with each passing second. There wasn't much time left and they haven't found a single clue on how to reverse the curse.

Every morning in the beginning, still drowsy from sleeping, Sasuke thought it had all been a terrible nightmare and that his father was about to burst into his room and tell him to get ready for school with his usual boisterous attitude and a smile on his face, though he was trying to sound stern. Sasuke would wait and then wonder why Daddy didn't come. That was when he usually looked at his grown up body and the fantasy shattered mercilessly.

The first nights, he tried to sleep on his bedroom but he always ended up awakening abruptly and run to Naruto's bedroom to make sure he was still alive. Since he couldn't sleep away from his Dad, even in the next room, Sasuke decided to sleep with him in his bed. No one was looking and he didn't care, so he spent every night holding his Daddy's hand and hugging him close to his body.

He cried too. He cried every day. He couldn't help it. Even though he knew it was useless and inappropriately childish, he spent hours talking to Tou-chan, asking him to wake up. But his voice didn't reach him and the raven ended up bursting into tears of sorrow and guilt.

There was a part of him that believed that the reason why Naruto didn't awaken was because he didn't want to see him anymore. Why would he, after everything Sasuke had said and done? Why would he want to be the parent of someone who kept hurting him over and over?

"_Stop thinking like that! It will only make things worse!"_ he thought, clenching his fists. _"This isn't the time to feel sorry about myself. I need to find a way to fix this! Tou-chan is going to wake up and then I…"_

Well… that was another thing that was bothering him. He tried to stay focused on the "waking Naruto up" part, but his chest ached with fear of what he was going to do next. How were they going to live with each other now that he knew that he had been his father's teammate? How was he supposed to act? Who was he really?

A part of Sasuke wished he never found out the truth about his origins. He realized now how happy he had been when he was innocently unaware of his past life. Since he didn't remember it, he never put much thought into it except when he wanted to know details about his first family or his former abilities as a shinobi. Aside from that, he was fine the way he was.

Most of the time, Sasuke didn't even think that he had a past life. He lived the present like it was his first time, because it felt this was his "real life" and his past was more like a very distant dream than a reality. But now that he knew the truth, he couldn't pretend it didn't happen anymore.

He felt divided in two different Sasukes and he didn't know which one he was supposed to be. Was he the genius and brooding Sasuke that was Naruto's teammate? Or the talented but grumpy Academy Student Sasuke that was Naruto's son?

What did Naruto want him to be?

After taking a deep breath, Sasuke continued walking down the street towards the Merchant's District in order to buy his share of supplies. Aside from one or two people, who Sasuke wordlessly greeted with a nod, the streets were deserted and silent. Even the animals were sleeping, so there wasn't even an occasional bark of dog or the chirp of a bird.

The Island resembled a ghost town and, if they didn't do anything soon, it would turn into a graveyard.

"Can I come in?" Sasuke asked, slowly opening the door of the grocery store.

"Oh? Yes, yes! Please come in" a woman's voice yelled behind counter, hidden by several boxes. "I'll be right with you."

Sasuke entered the store and waited until Erina, one of the daughters of the store's owner, came to the counter. "Good afternoon, Sasuke-san? How are you?" she asked with a kind smile.

"Fine, thanks" the raven answered. "How is everything?"

Erina shrugged with a sad smile. Sasuke already knew her before the _Curse_, though they never had said more than a "hello" to each other. Although she now looked like an adult woman with long brown hair and hazel eyes, in her twenties, she really was an eleven year old girl with two pigtails, who used to play with her two year old baby sister while their parents worked on the store. Now she and her sister, who strangely enough also looked in her twenties, took the responsibility to take care of their parents business.

"Pretty much the same, I guess" she answered, but Sasuke noticed the rings around her puffy eyes. "We have to live each day at a time, right? That's what mama used to say…"

Suddenly, there was a loud noise of something shattering on the floor. Instinctively, Sasuke placed his hand on _Kizuna_'s handle but Erina turned around and knelled behind one of the selves. Soon, the raven heard the unmistakable sound of a woman crying.

"I can't… I can't do this… I can't…"

"Hatsumi-chan, we've talked about this already" Erina said, holding her sister. "We have to keep the store and help everybody. That's our duty, that's what Mama and Papa would have wanted."

"I just want everything to go back to way it was, Nee-chan" Hatsumi sobbed, burying her head on her sister's shoulder. "I want Mama and Papa."

"I know. I miss them too" Erina said, her voice cracking as she got closer to tears but fought them because it would only upset her little sister more. "But we can't just give up, Hatsumi-chan. We have to be strong."

"I can't be strong anymore. I don't want to be strong anymore! I'm not really an adult and neither are you. I wish this was all a nightmare!"

Sasuke stayed quiet while Erina tried to calm down her sister. However, he agreed with every word she was saying because he felt exactly same way. They looked like adults, thought like adults and behaved like adults. Nobunaga's jutsu had been apparently perfect, except… they all felt that something was amiss, that this wasn't who they were meant to be.

They had the body and mind of an adult, but their hearts were still those of children.

After apologizing for the delay, Erina gave Sasuke his bag of supplies and he headed home. Only, instead of taking the road where he came from, he decided to go through the woods. He needed the solitude of the wilderness to think straight, plus he wasn't sure he could handle seeing more of his fellow adult-children and the growing despair in their eyes. He could hardly handle his own.

After a while, he heard the sound of a waterfall which meant he was near the tiny lake where he used to train his Katon. The place was perfect not only because he could train as much as he wanted near the lake, without the fear of setting the forest on fire, but also because no one came here and he was able to concentrate. Besides, his Katon had been so pathetically weak that he didn't want anyone to see it until it was perfect, specially his father.

"But I think he already knew what I was training" Sasuke whispered to himself with a small smile on his lips.

Seeing one of the largest trees near the lake, the young raven man decided to sit under it and try to gather his thoughts. Carefully, he placed his bag beside him and leaned against the large trunk, enjoying the gentle breeze and hearing the soothing sound of the waving leafs and the continuously falling water.

He was wearing a pair of black pants, black shinobi sandals and a white t-shirt. The clothing belonged to Naruto, since Sasuke's old clothes were far too small for him now. The clothes he got from Nobunaga were hidden inside his closet and were the only ones that fit, however, he'd rather use his father's clothes anytime over those of that bastard. He didn't think Tou-chan would mind.

Slowly, Sasuke rubbed his left eye, then his right. He didn't understand why, but his eyes were itching a lot ever since his fight against Nobunaga. Sometimes they even hurt and his vision blurred for a few seconds, then they would return to normal like nothing had happened. Could it be because he had used his Sharingan for too long? He had no idea and there was no way he could ask anyone about it.

It wasn't important anyway. With everything that was going on, how could he feel worried about some insignificant itch?

Sasuke closed his eyes and waited until the itching disappeared. The weather was really hot and he had sweated a lot just from walking to the grocery store. After all, it was summer and if this mess had never happened, he would be enjoying his summer vacation, probably training.

"It's really warm… just like… last month" the raven said softly, lost in his memory and drifting into a light sleep.

* * *

"Damn it, it's so hot!"_ Sasuke though bitterly, panting and sweat running down his face and back. _"Why does it have to be so hot now? I just got here and am already tired."

_He never thought the temperature could rise that much. It had been kinda cold in the morning, but ever since lunch the Islands had become an inferno. Most of his classmates had gone to the beach or buy ice-cream after school, but Sasuke refused to break his routine of training the Katon near the isolated lake. Besides, his Dad wasn't home until seven so they couldn't train together._

_It seemed like they never did anything together now that he was working with Riku's dad. _

_Pouting, the raven boy cleaned his sweaty face with the back of his hand and made the hand seals slowly but precisely. He was gonna do it! He was going to make a huge fireball and then show it to Daddy. After that, he was gonna see how cool and powerful Sasuke really was. Just like him!_

_When Tou-chan fought, his movements were precise and even graceful. By now, Sasuke was used to watch Naruto train on his own and was always amazed on how powerful he was. He had told Sasuke all about the Rasengan, his grandfather's original jutsu, the Rasenshuriken, when he mixed his wind element with the Rasengan, and even explained the little boy how he learned Senjutsu. However, when Sasuke asked what was that form when he looked like he was on fire and his strength and speed increased so much, his father remained silent and mysterious._

"_That is a very long story" Naruto had said. "I'll tell you when you're old enough."_

_The raven child frowned at that memory. He was old enough to learn any jutsu! He heard there were children his age that had already graduated from the Academy and going on missions. Why didn't his Dad trust him enough? Was Sasuke really that unreliable and weak? _

_Or maybe… maybe Naruto's rival was just so exceptional that he thought Sasuke could never measure up. When they went back to Konoha, Tou-chan was going to go back to him and his old team. They would go on long missions together while the little and feeble Sasuke stayed behind because he wasn't strong enough to be with them, he would only be in the way. He wasn't like Naruto._

_"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" the boy yelled._

_A small flame came out of his mouth, burning his lips and followed by a cloud of smoke. Sasuke bent over coughing and his eyes teary from both the smoke and frustration. That Katon had been pathetic! He wasn't improving at all even though he had been training for months. What was he doing wrong? Why couldn't he do the jutsu right? What was wrong with him?_

_Naruto trained a lot, but he got stronger every day while Sasuke didn't. Why? Why wasn't Sasuke growing stronger like his father? _

_Why couldn't he be more like his Daddy like everybody else was with their parents? Why were they so different?_

_Sasuke fell to his knees and placed his hands on the ground, near the water. His head was hurting and he felt hotter than ever. As he panted, his tired eyes saw drops of sweat falling down from his face to the ground. _

_He looked slightly up and saw his own reflection in the calm waters. He saw an exhausted, small boy. His cheeks were red from the heat and his fringe was glued to his sweaty forehead. _

_Slowly, Sasuke touched his right cheek and looked deep into his own black eyes, so dark that he couldn't even see the pupil. Unlike Naruto's eyes, which where blue and pretty like the sky. If Sasuke had been born with Tou-chan as his real father, like the other kids, would he have blue eyes too? He would he be strong like he was too?_

_Sasuke felt his eyes burning again and two thick tears rolled down his face into the water as a very familiar sadness pierce his young heart. He didn't want to be adopted; he wanted to be like Tou-chan. If he was his real son, they would look alike and Sasuke would be strong like he was. _

_The raven boy had already talked with Naruto about his adoption many, many times but he always ended up feeling sad. Even though his adoption had been special, even if Naruto had told him that he loved him deeply and that they were as real as all the other fathers and sons, Sasuke couldn't help wondering if they wouldn't be closer if Sasuke really had been born like the other kids with Naruto as his first Daddy. _

_Why did he have to be different? He wanted to be his real son. He didn't want to be adopted._

_After a few seconds, the black haired boy stood up and cleaned his teary eyes with the back of his hand. He wasn't going to cry like a little baby! He was a ninja… or a future one… or a past one. Damn! Why was his life so confusing?_

"_I have to… train more" the child said between gasps. Again, he made the hand seals and felt the heat rising in his chest. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"_

_This time, not even a flame came out, just a little puff of smoke. _

"_No!" Sasuke whined. "Crap! It's no good... I have to... I have to try aga…"_

_The boy was unable to finish his sentence as the lake blurred into millions of flashy dots, before he blacked out and felt his body fall limp into the floor. It was so hot and he was burning… he felt he was on fire._

_After what seemed to be only a few minutes, Sasuke opened his eyes again. To his surprise, he wasn't near the water anymore. His head was facing upwards and he stared at the sun behind the green leafs of a tree, waving with the fresh breeze. Sasuke also felt grass under his body and something cold on his forehead._

_Slowly and still drowsy, the raven boy touched his brow and felt a wet cloth on it. Then, turn his head carefully to the right and saw someone big beside him, sitting on the ground and leaning against the tree. As Sasuke's sleepy eyes watched the man, he realized he was wearing a casual black t-shirt and blue pants, his spiky blond hair was waving at the wind and sky-blue eyes were staring at the lake with a relaxed stare. _

"_Papa?" Sasuke asked, blinking several times until his vision improved._

_Naruto widened his eyes before looking at the sleepy child. When he did, his lips curved into a smile. "Hey there, Sasuke. How are you feeling?"_

"_Tired…" the boy said, trying to stand up. However, Naruto grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back down._

"_Easy! You said you were tired, so you should rest a bit more. Besides, it's far too hot to train right now and you didn't even bring a bottle of water."_

_That was when it all came back to Sasuke. He had been training his Katon non-stop and failing every time when he felt dizzy and passed out. Oh crap! He had fainted while he was training like a total wimp! _

_Sasuke's cheeks became crimson with shame and he had to look away from his father's face. He couldn't even train properly and he had fainted. Now he really felt like a loser. _

"Shit! What if Tou-chan saw those stupid Katon?"_ the raven thought._

"_Sasuke? Are you alright?" Naruto asked, looking concerned. "Are you still woozy? Maybe I should take you to the doctor."_

"_No! I'm fine! I don't need to go to the doctor. I'm not weak!" Sasuke exclaimed, staring at the blond's face. _

"_Who said you were weak? It has nothing to do with it" Naruto said, but Sasuke looked away again. _

"_How did you know I was here?" the child asked, though what he really wanted to know was if his Dad had seen his pathetic training. _

"_I had a feeling you would be training even with this hot weather" Naruto said. "Shigeru-san said that something came up and that I could go home earlier. I was heading home when I saw a lot of kids playing in the woods or going to the beach, so I thought about where you could be."_

_Sasuke blinked. The Island was pretty big and he could be training anywhere. How did his father know exactly where he was? Oh! Right… he could use the Sage Mode and sense his chakra._

"_You sensed my chakra, right?" Sasuke asked, his eyes widening in surprise when the blond young man shook his head. "You didn't use your Sage Mode?"_

"_To go into Sage Mode, I need to meditate for a while until I get the natural energy that I need. I wasn't going to use it so leisurely."_

"_Then… how did you know I was here?" Sasuke asked, wondering if this was another one of Naruto's amazing shinobi skills that had allowed him to track Sasuke._

"_Actually… I really can't explain how I knew. I just felt you were out here, so I went looking for you and saw you passing out" Naruto said, staring at Sasuke with a gentle smile. "I wonder if this is what they call a "Father's Instinct"... I mean, knowing that my child needs me."_

_Sasuke felt his chest warm and he couldn't help but smile shyly. "I guess you can call it that, Daddy. But I was fine! Really! I was just… resting a little bit."_

"_Yeah, right…" Naruto chuckled and gave Sasuke a bottle of fresh water, which the boy gladly accepted and drank it almost in one gulp._

"_Hey, hey! Slow it down! What's the rush? The water isn't going anywhere" Naruto said._

_After Sasuke drank the whole bottle he gave it back to his Dad. "Thanks for water, Tou-chan. I'm going to train a little more now."_

"_Huh? Sasuke, that's not a good idea. You just fainted, you need to rest or else you might black out again."_

"_I'm fine, I've told you" the stubborn boy said, standing up rather quickly. "I can go…"_

_Just as Naruto had predicted, the moment Sasuke tried to run back to the lake, his vision blurred and he felt himself falling backwards. His small body landed comfortably in his father arms, who pushed him softly against chest._

"_See? I told you" the blond say with a smirk and sat down with his son sitting on his lap. "Now, you're gonna stay right here and rest."_

"_Wha…? Tou-chan!" Sasuke cried out with embarrassment. "I'm not a baby anymore, usuratonkachi! Let me go!"_

_Naruto shook his head. "No way, teme. You're not going anywhere for a while. You got to learn to relax and enjoy life once in a while. Life isn't all training, you know? I swear… Sometimes you act like you're ten years older. You're a little kid! You should play and have fun."_

"_I'm **not** a little kid!" Sasuke whined, sounding just like a little kid and trying to free himself from Naruto's hug. "I'll be seven in a month. I'm already grown-up and I have to train to get stronger. I can't be a ninja if don't have power."_

_At this, Naruto's hold got even tighter. Sasuke opened his mouth to tell him to let him go but shut it up again when he saw the strange expression on his father's eyes. He looked… troubled. _

_Did Sasuke say something he shouldn't? He repeated the same words he said and didn't find anything nasty, at least that he knew. But Naruto wasn't smiling playfully anymore and was actually holding Sasuke like he the raven could run away at any second._

"_Tou-chan?" the boy asked, confusion evident in his black eyes. "What's wrong?"_

_Naruto smiled sadly and his hug became gentler. _

"_You're growing up too fast" the blond said, rubbing Sasuke's back with a sad gaze. "I know that you want to train, but can you just stay with me here for a little bit. No one is looking, so you don't have to worry."_

_Suddenly, Sasuke's heart felt heavy. He didn't want his father to be sad or think that he didn't want to be with him. He was training so hard so he could become strong just like he was, because he wanted to feel that they were alike. He wanted to tell him that everything he did was so that they could fight together, that he wanted him to love him more than his rival, he wanted Naruto to be his real father and not adoptive. _

_He tried to tell him all those things, but he just couldn't bring himself to say them. Why was it always so hard for Sasuke to tell Naruto how he really felt? Why were things between them always so complicated?_

_It was like there was this rift between them and, no matter how many times they tried to close it, it was always there separating them. _

_Since Sasuke mouth couldn't mutter the words locked inside his heart, he simply leaned his head against his father's chest and relaxed completely in his warm embrace. _

"_It's okay… I don't wanna train anymore" the boy said, feeling protected and loved. "We can stay here together, Daddy."_

"_Alright" Naruto answered with a smile as his child snuggled against his body, knowing it was exactly where he belonged._

* * *

When Sasuke opened his eyes, his feelings during that moment still lingered in his mind. At that time, there weren't any doubts. He didn't think about his first life or the adoption, he was just a son who was being held by his Daddy.

The young man stood up and walked towards the familiar lake. Everything looked exactly the same as always, yet, it felt so different.

Sasuke made the hand seals and was ready to launch a very powerful Katon into the lake; one he already knew it was going to be strong and perfect. However, as he felt the heat on his throat, he lowered his arms and the heat subsided.

"This… is worthless" he whispered to the wind.

Feeling empty and forlorn, Sasuke turned around, grabbed his groceries and walked towards his house.

* * *

"Hi, Tou-chan. I came back" Sasuke said to the silent house. Like the other times, there was no answer, no one to welcome him home anymore.

Sasuke placed the groceries on the kitchen and went upstairs, to Naruto's bedroom. Though it was a hot summer day, the raven had covered his father with all their blankets in a futile attempt to keep him warm. But was of no use, the blond's skin was still ice-cold and he wasn't even sweating. It looked like all his body was frozen in time, even the crystals around his wound wouldn't come out.

Trying to ignore how pale and sick his Dad looked; Sasuke sat in a chair by his bed to talk to him. He had to keep talking to him, he might listen. Maybe one day he would hear him and come back.

"The meeting today was disappointing. There is no news at all and no changes" the raven said. "You can't tell him that I said this but that asshole Riku is a born leader. I mean… I couldn't ever do what he did. He made us all feel calm and gave us a purpose to help you and all the other adults. Shigeru-san must be very proud… I saw him this morning and he looked better. I guess some people are just made to be leaders and lead people. That's why you are gonna be the Hokage, right? Tsunade Baa-chan said so. And me? I think I'll be better as an ANBU, so I'll have your back."

Naruto remained silent and still like a statue. Carefully, Sasuke pulled the covers and grabbed his cold hand.

"This is wrong… this very wrong. This has got to be a nightmare" Sasuke whimpered, tears rolling down his face. "Why don't you come back, Dad? Why don't you wake up? I don't know what to do without you. I don't wanna lose you. You said it! I'm just a little boy. I look bigger now but it doesn't matter. I want my Daddy back."

No answer. Not even a movement. Naruto's hand was limp against Sasuke's.

"There are so many things I want to tell you. I wanted to tell you sooner but… I couldn't. I don't know why, maybe I'm just a coward. I… don't want to be adopted. I wish I was your son, your biological son. I wanted us to be alike and I wanted to be your best friend too, I didn't tell you because I was afraid you were gonna say that we couldn't be best friends and that your rival would always be your best friend."

Sasuke remained silent for a few seconds, the forbidden words coming out inside his heart.

"Now that I know the truth about my past life, that I was your rival all along... I wish… I didn't have a first life. I don't remember anything about it and to me this life… the one where I'm your son and you're my father, that is the life that feels real and that I want. I still want to be your best friend and fight alongside you, but I… I can't stop thinking of you as my Dad. I don't want to. I wanna be your son! I am your son! This shouldn't be so complicated! Why didn't you just have sex with a girl and have me, usuratonkachi?"

There were two framed photos on Naruto's bedside table. The one where Sasuke was a baby and was sleeping in his Daddy Naruto's arms, and the other was the one they took as teammates in Team 7, where Sasuke looked annoyed at his comrade Naruto.

Still crying, Sasuke picked up the picture of him as a baby and stared at it while tears fell on the glass. The young Naruto in the photo looked so happy, unknowing that the baby in his arms would cause him so much pain.

_**"I'm sorry… I wasn't a good dad."**_

"_No! That's not true. You are the best father in the world."_

_**"I wanted to be a good dad… I wanted you to be happy"**_

"_I was happy. I was really happy! You are perfect just the way you are."_

_**"I'm sorry I wasn't good enough."**_

"_No… I'm the one who__ doesn't deserve you. I blew it… You build our family and I crushed it because I wanted power, though the reason I wanted to be powerful was so you would be proud of me in the first place. I don't have the right to be your son when all I do is hurting you over and over."_

Sasuke took the family photo and left the Team 7 photo on Naruto's bedside table. The raven could only wonder what his past self would have done. He definitely would never hurt Naruto this way. They were best friends and the person Naruto admired the most, the teammate whose memories he cherished and had disappeared when Uzumaki Sasuke was "born".

Sasuke looked at the blond man one more time before leaving the room. Naruto had made enough sacrifices for him already, he didn't deserve anymore heartbreaks. If Naruto truly missed his best friend, if he wanted him back, then Sasuke would be that person again. He would turn back into his precious teammate and restore their previous bond to what it was.

If that was what it took to make Naruto happy, Sasuke would learn all about his older self and become him again… for him. That was the least he could do.

The raven took the picture of their family from the frame and put hid it in his pocket. Although he knew that he was doing the right thing, he couldn't help but feel his child heart shatter into a million pieces.

* * *

_The kid was crying again. Naruto could hear him crying desperately in the darkness but, no matter how much he tried to find him, he couldn't see the child, just hear him crying. _

"Where are you?"_ Naruto asked into the dark. _"I can't find you if you don't tell me where you are!"

_The kid continued crying and Naruto started walking towards the sound. He needed to find that child! He only knew he had to find him and quick. His heart ached every time he heard him crying, even if he couldn't understand why._

_Suddenly Naruto saw something in front of him, flickering like a mirage or a really bad genjutsu. It was a small boy, that much he could tell, but he couldn't see his face or his upper body right. The image was too blurred. _

_The boy was crying in the dark, his hands fisted against his face and his tears running down his face to the dark ground._

_Naruto stepped closer, feeling anxious and upset by that kid's sorrow._

"Who are you?"_ he asked, moving closer to the boy. _"Why are you crying? What's wrong?"

_The boy sobbed as Naruto got closer. The blond felt that he had to help the kid; he was the only one who could do it. That boy needed him and Naruto needed him._

_He had to go that child. He didn't want them to be apart. _

"Don't cry. I'm here" _Naruto said, his chest hurting from the innumerous emotions that he felt towards the crying little boy. _"It's going to be okay now."

_But the moment Naruto was about to touch the kid, a bright light blinded him and he felt like he was being pulled away from the boy._

* * *

"No! Wait!" Naruto yelled, feeling his arms and legs trapped. "Let me go back!"

"There's no way you're going back to sleep again, Naruto" an angry female voice said.

When Naruto finally opened his eyes he saw the unmistakable long red hair of Uzumaki Kushina. His really pissed off mother.

"K-Kaa-chan?" the blond asked, looking around and realizing that his arms and legs were trapped inside his bed's sheets, like a straitjacket. "Wha…? Was I dreaming?"

"You were dreaming for more than twenty minutes after I first called you" Kushina said, helping Naruto free himself from his sheets. "Honestly, Naruto! When are you going to grow up and be more responsible? You're sixteen years old, 'ttebane!

Naruto rubbed his head and stood up with an awkward smile. "Sorry, Kaa-chan. But I was having that dream again… the one about the kid who's crying."

Kushina picked up her son's clean clothes and gave them to him with a sigh. "You should worry less about dreams and more about waking up on time. Your Tou-san already left."

"Oh? Already? I kinda wanted to ask Tou-chan about the dreams" Naruto said.

"He's the Hokage. Kage don't get late! I bet that friend of yours, Gaara, is never late."

"Kaa-chan! You didn't need to throw that into my face… But seriously, it felt so real…"

Kushina slapped the blond teen on the head. "Stop rambling and get dressed. Sakura-chan is downstairs already."

"Huh? She is? Crap! I really am late!"

"What have I been telling you all this time? Hurry up, Naruto!" the red haired woman said before leaving his bedroom.

Naruto dressed his black orange jumpsuit and left his bedroom. As he went down the stairs he could hear his mom and Sakura chattering by the front door.

"I'm really sorry for Naruto" Kushina said with a smile. "I called him half an hour ago."

"Oh! It's okay, Kushina-san. I know how he is" Sakura answered.

"Ah… Good Morning, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said jovially, though his expression changed into fear as he saw both his mother and Sakura glare at him.

"There you are Naruto. Hurry up and go, Kakashi-kun must be waiting already" Kushina said.

"Kakashi-sensei is always late. What's the problem if I'm late once in a while" the blond asked.

"You can think about that when you're a Jōnin. Now go" his mom said, pulling him towards the door.

Naruto looked at the table and his stomach roared.

"Can I eat a small breakfast?" the blond teen asked carefully.

"NO!" both Sakura and Kushina yelled.

"We're going now" Sakura said, grabbing Naruto by his ear and pulling down the hall as he cried in pain. "It was nice to see you Kushina-san" the pink haired girl said smilling.

"It was nice to see you too, Sakura-chan" Kushina said smiling back and completely unaffected that her son was shrieking. "Take care of Naruto for me, okay?"

"We all will!" Sakura answered and she pulled Naruto to the street, still holding his hear.

"OW! Ow! Sakura-chan… I'm sorry… Ow! Please let go of my ear" Naruto asked.

"Fine" the medic-nin said. "But you should be ashamed of yourself! You made us all wait for you and then Kakashi-sensei told me to go and get you. What a drag!"

Knowing that no excuse would work, Naruto kept his mouth shut and tied his Hitai-ate around his head. He still couldn't take that dream out of his head, or the image of the little boy. Part of him really wanted to have been able to reach him.

"Here we are, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura announced as they walked towards the bridge.

Kakashi looked up from his very worn-out Icha- Icha book with his usual bored gaze. "Oh! Looks like you found Naruto, Sakura."

"He was still sleeping" the girl said.

"Sakura-chan, I said I was sorry. I didn't hear my mom call me, give me a break" Naruto replied.

"Hmph! You still need your mother to go and get you out of bed? You really are childish."

Naruto looked behind Kakashi and glared at his most exasperating teammate. Like always, Uchiha Sasuke looked impeccable and cool, leaning against the bridge.

"Always putting on airs! Mind your business, Sasuke-teme!" the blond yelled angrily.

Sasuke turned around and started walking.

"Hey! Don't ignore me when I'm talking to you, bastard!"

"I will when you have something worth hearing" the brooding Uchiha answered.

"Come on! We have a A Rank Mission today" Kakashi told them. "We shouldn't start with the wrong foot."

Naruto quickly got over his bickering with Sasuke and listened excitedly to his sensei as he talked about the mission. Their team had the record of most successful missions accomplished, so this one was just another victory to add.

When everyone's positions were decided, Naruto was paired with Sasuke. He and the raven jumped from tree to tree until they spotted the group of assassins that was terrorizing the Land of Fire.

"Right! I'm going!" Sasuke said and got ready to jump into their midst as a distraction.

Suddenly, Naruto became very aware of the weapons the assassins carried as well as their huge numbers. Sasuke was going there alone. It was dangerous!

The raven was ready to jump, when he felt Naruto's hand grab his arm.

"What the hell are you doing, baka?" Sasuke asked exasperated.

"I… We should go together. They're so many!"

"I can handle them just fine. Let me go, Naruto!"

"But… it's dangerous… and you…"

"Of course it's dangerous, idiot!" Sasuke yelled. "It's a A Rank mission. Stop acting so weird and follow the plan!"

Sasuke pulled his arm from Naruto's grasp and immediately knocked out one of the assassins. Naruto rubbed his head. He didn't know what had gotten into him. Why did he suddenly feel so protective of Sasuke of all people?

Well, it didn't matter. It was his turn to battle now.

* * *

**I just hope you guys aren't confused about what just happened. More will be explained next chapter.**

**I hope you like it. As always, please review. Your words keep me going and I would have stopped a long time ago if you didn't ask me to keep writing!**

**See ya!**


	56. Incomplete

**Hi! Since I will be unable to write for while, I decided to post this smaller chapter. A few things happen, but I hope you still find it enjoyable.**

* * *

**Incomplete**

不完全 _(Fukanzen)_

It had been impossible for Kakashi, Yamato and Sai to find a boat to take them to the Unmei Islands.

Every single soul in the port was terrified because of some mysterious dark and violent storm that had happened two weeks ago. The sky had become dark-purple, the sailors said, and huge waves and thunder came from the Islands, destroying several houses near the marina and even sinking one boat. After that, no one was able to contact the Islands.

Yamato was forced to use his Mokuton on an old and abandoned boat for them to travel. So far, the waters were calm and none of them could feel their chakra disturbed.

"Kakashi-sensei! I see something!" Sai said, pointing forward.

Kakashi followed Sai's finger and saw the dormant volcano of the Main Island. "There's no doubt. It's the Islands, were getting closer."

Yamato moved to his senpai's side. "Naruto and Sasuke are there, huh?"

The white haired Jōnin remained silent, lost in his own thoughts.

As their boat moved closer to the archipelago, Kakashi felt something strange in the air. He looked at his two comrades, who nodded in agreement. They had felt it too, that weird aura around the islands and getting closer to their boat.

Swiftly, Kakashi pulled his Hitai-ate and opened his Sharingan eye. He frowned instantly as he saw the invisible barrier of unnatural chakra surrounding the islands.

"It's a barrier" he said, then, he noticed that the fishes were able to go inside the barrier but collided against and invisible wall when they tried to get out. "It is only preventing people from leaving, not from going inside. No wonder the continent didn't have any contact, the islanders are trapped."

"What?" Sai asked. "That means Naruto is trapped inside as well."

Kakashi looked worryingly at the barrier once more. Something terrible had happened two weeks ago, or else, he was certain his unpredictable student would have been able to break it.

"Senpai?" Yamato asked. "What should we do?"

Kakashi continued looking at the main Island. "I don't see a way to break the barrier from the outside. The source is coming from the inside."

"Kakashi-senpai? Are you saying that we need to get in?"

"Yes. It's the only way to search for a way to break this cage and also look for Naruto and Sasuke. There is no other choice."

And so, their boat entered the barrier, effectively trapping them inside.

* * *

_Unmei Islands, Main Island_

Shigeru was resting in his bed when he heard footsteps coming closer to his bedroom, only to stop right behind his door. The dark-brown haired samurai closed his eyes and sighed, wanting patiently until his youngest son finally found the courage to knock on his door.

"Come in, Riku" Shigeru said.

The silver-haired young man opened the door slowly and entered his father's bedroom. As a child, Riku had never dared to go inside Shigeru's personal space, especially after he had seen the older Sanada enraged reaction when he had played with Hatori's toys in the firstborn's bedroom. So, it was no surprise that Riku still felt very uneasy in his father's presence and in his bedroom. Somehow, the child in him was still expecting Shigeru to yell at him for intruding in his personal space and his precious memories.

"Is everything alright?" Shigeru asked, feeling a bit nervous himself. It was hard to start a relationship with someone he had previously decided to disregard. It was even sadder that he couldn't feel at ease around his own son.

Riku gulped almost imperceptibly and looked at his father in the eyes. "Yes. I mean… everything is still the same, which isn't good but, at least, everyone is still alive."

Shigeru nodded. He was aware of Riku's efforts to keep everybody calm and his decisions to maintain order. Honestly, he couldn't have done better himself and he was both surprised and happy that Riku had proved himself to be such a wonderful leader.

"You've been great, Riku" Shigeru said.

"Thank you."

Both men lowered their gazes, feeling too awkward around each other. Shigeru, once again, blamed himself for this. If it had been Hatori, he wouldn't hesitate to praise him affectionately, but he felt he still had no right to be put on a fatherly face and commend Riku after all he had done and said. It was still too early for that and he truly wanted to mend their relationship, no matter how long it would take.

"So… what brings you here?" the older samurai asked.

The pale young man blushed and felt like fidgeting under his father's gaze. He had no idea on how to start a conversation with Shigeru or even on how to act. It would be a lot easier for him to ignore each other like they had done in the past, but Riku didn't want that either. How could he say that he felt worried and responsible for his father's injuries? Or that he wanted to be reassured because he felt so tired of reassuring everyone else? Or how terribly guilty he felt every time he saw his grandma's comatose body?

"I… just wanted to know if you're feeling better" the young man finally said. "I mean… how are your wounds?"

"They're healing. I feel stronger each day" Shigeru said.

The silver haired young man nodded. "Is there anything you need?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine, Riku."

Riku nodded again, his throat increasingly tight. He looked at his father's bedside table and stared at the beautiful photos of Shigeru with his first family. Once more, he felt the weight of jealously crush his heart and cursed himself for being such a bitter and resentful person for envying his dead brother's relationship with their father.

"_I really am a horrible person"_ Riku thought. _"I shouldn't feel this. It's not right… I need to move on and stop resenting Hatori for everything that went wrong in my life. Why can't I let it go?"_

Shigeru followed the boy's gaze and his eyes became saddened as he realized what his son was most likely thinking.

"Well… I should go. I'll let you rest" Riku said, turning around before he said or did anything stupid or hurtful. "Goodnight."

"Wait" Shigeru said, surprising both himself and Riku. "You've been working nonstop ever since we arrived at the islands. I am the one who should be asking how you're feeling, not the other way around."

Riku remained by the door, unsure about what to answer. His father was showing concern over him but he didn't know how to react in this situation. Good Lord, they were a mess as a family!

"I'm alright. I'm their leader, I have to work hard."

Shigeru noticed the bags under his son's eyes and his exhausted expression. "You have been doing an amazing job and I'm sure they all appreciate your efforts. However, you need to take time to rest too."

"Everyone is counting on me, I can't let them down" Riku said, though his voice sounded tired. "If I do…"

Shigeru motioned for the younger Sanada to move closer. Confused, Riku obeyed his father and sat in a chair next to Shigeru's bed. Carefully, he stared at his bandaged arms and he couldn't help but feel his throat even tighter than before.

"It is surprising how much you sound like me" Shigeru said.

"Huh?"

"When I became the official leader, your grandmother asked me how I felt. I wanted to prove to her that I wasn't scared. That I was confident that I could take my father's place and look after her and the Islands like he used too" Shigeru told Riku with a nostalgic smile. "I told her exactly what you said now and, do you know what she answered?" Riku shook his head. "She told me to stop pretending in front of her, because she knew damn well that I was scared out of my mind."

Riku blinked.

"You were? But I heard that you looked completely fearless during the ceremony. You didn't even cry…" the silver haired young man felt like covering his mouth with both his hands. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that…"

"It's alright. I didn't cry during the ceremony or during my father's funeral" Shigeru went on. "But the moment I was alone in my bedroom, I burst into tears. I didn't want to disappoint my people or my mother by acting like a child, but she knew me better than anyone else. I thought I was doing the right thing and protecting her, but she wanted me to let her protect me because that's what parents are meant to do."

Riku, instinctively, moved closer to his father. "So what did you do?"

"I hugged her and bawled like a baby in front of my father's photo" Shigeru said with a smile. "A very inappropriate behavior for a Sanada leader, but I don't regret it. I needed to vent and I needed my mother, so it was alright."

Riku stiffened when he felt his father's hand touch his face. His blue eyes widened even more when he realized that Shigeru was wiping a single tear that ran down his cheek.

"Your grandmother would slap you in the head if she knew you were blaming yourself for what happened" Shigeru said, placing a big and warm hand on his son's shoulder. "Then, she would slap me too for letting you think that."

Riku couldn't help it and chuckled. "That's does sound like grandma."

"So do us both a favor and stop with those ridiculous thoughts. Promise me."

"Alright. I promise, Tou-san."

Both Shigeru and Riku smiled at each other. Then, the young Sanada stood up and stared at his father with his cheeks slightly blushed. "Huh? Do you want to… have some dinner? I mean… I made soup, maybe too much soup… I'm not very good at it, but… I thought maybe we could eat it… together."

Shigeru closed his eyes and smile, slowly pushing the sheets over his body. "Now that you mention it, I am a little hungry. Give me my crutches, son."

The moment Riku turned around to pick up the crutches, he smiled warmly. He couldn't remember feeling this happy in his whole life. Maybe there was hope for him and his Dad. Maybe they could really become the family he longed for.

* * *

After sunset, Sasuke had decided to go for a walk. He had already checked Naruto and, after realizing that there had been no changes at all, the raven had left their mansion, unable to stare at the blond man's pale and sick face anymore.

The streets were empty, which was something the raven appreciated. He didn't feel like talking to anyone, he needed silence and solitude to think and pull himself together. When he reached the one of the gardens on the Samurai District, Sasuke sat down in a wooden bench and stared at the clean sky and the big and beautiful full moon.

His mind kept remembering moments of his past, like when he went to see the fireworks during the summer festival with his Daddy. They had some much fun together, playing games in the tents, eating candy… Sasuke had felt so happy that he didn't want that night to end.

"But... all things come to an end" the raven whispered and he took his baby photo from his pocket.

Even though he had made his decision to give Naruto his teammate back, Sasuke was unable to stop his eyes from filling up with tears. Since they were already burning and his tears were blurring his vision, the raven didn't noticed his usual onyx eyes turn into ocean blue, something that had kept happening more frequently for the last two weeks. Likewise, he didn't notice the Red Phoenix Symbol reappearing on his back.

"Daddy…"

* * *

"Congratulations" Izumo said kindly while Team 7 entered the gates of the village. "I heard you finally completed your 1000th mission. I guess, by Naruto's huge grin, that it was a success."

The blond's smile, if possible, grew even larger. "You're damn right it was a success! Team 7 is the best team ever!"

Kakashi sighed and took his Icha-Icha book from his pocket. "Technically, it's called _Team Kakashi_ now, but Naruto often forgets it."

"What did you expect, sensei? It's Naruto!" Sakura added. "He might have grown a little bigger, but he's still the same Baka Naruto that barely graduated from the Academy."

"Oh! Sakura-chan! Don't say that! I'm a lot more mature than I used to be!" the blond teen mumbled.

"Hmph! Don't be ridiculous" Sasuke, who had remained silent and brooding ever since they finished the mission, finally decided to speak his mind. "_Mature_? That word would never be used to describe you, usuratonkachi."

"WHAT?" Naruto growled, ready to punch the raven Uchiha if Kakashi didn't pull his arm. "Take that back, you bastard!"

"Calm down Naruto" Kakashi said, with his sole eye still on that damn book. "That childish reaction is proving his point."

Naruto immediately stopped struggling from his sensei's hold. "Childish? I'm not childish!"

"Of course you are, Naruto" Sakura said, first with a frown and then with a hint of a smile on her lips. "In a way, that's comforting. There is no need for you to change."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "What do you mean, Sakura-chan?

"You're still the same as always. That's the way you are" she answered with a smile. "Nothing needs to change when things are fine the way they are, don't you think?"

Instead of agreeing right away, like he used to, Naruto found himself slowly closing his mouth, his words dying in his throat. Sure, what Sakura had said was totally right. When things were great, there was no need for change. He didn't need to change, Sakura didn't need to change, and Sasuke didn't need to change…

Their team was perfect. It should never change.

"_Then why do I feel so troubled?"_ Naruto thought, as the image of the crying boy appeared again on his mind. _"Why do I keep thinking about him? That kid doesn't even exist! Then why…?"_

"Naruto! Why are you spacing out?" Sasuke groaned, obviously annoyed.

"Huh?" the blond looked at his team. "Sorry, guys… I was just thinking… eh… about a dream I've been having."

Naruto was too focused thinking about the details of his recurring dream to notice how his teammates and sensei looked ominously at him. In fact, it wasn't just them. Every single person in the street, or looking through the windows or the roofs, stared at the blond with a frown.

"Naruto, you shouldn't pay attention to dreams" Kakashi said. "Reality is what's most important."

The blond looked at his sensei with an awkward smile and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, yeah, I know. It's just… It was a really strange dream."

"Dreams are just dreams Naruto" Sakura said with a serious tone on her voice.

"Huh? I know. I know it was just a dream" the blond said, feeling stupid for paying so much attention to it. "I was just talking, you know?"

Sasuke sighed and walked in Naruto's direction, only to stop right beside him.

"Sasuke?" the confused blond asked.

"Don't lose sight of what matters" the raven said, finally staring at Naruto with his solemn black eyes. "Didn't you say that your village and your comrades are the most important thing in the world to you?"

"Yes… I did, but…"

"Then stop chasing an illusion and worry about the people who are real. You should be grateful for what you have" the raven said.

Naruto stared at his best friend before nodding. "You're right."

Suddenly it was as if the world started living again. For a moment, Naruto could have sworn that everything was dead silent while they were having their conversation about his dream, but now the streets were once again filled with life and noise.

"Since Naruto was so devoted to deep thoughts, I guess we should light up the mood" Kakashi said. "What do you say? Do you want to go to Ichiraku celebrate our 1000th mission?"

Naruto smiled instantly. "Really? All right! Ramen for everybody! And Kakashi-sensei is paying because he was the one who invited us!"

"Eh? I didn't say I was inviting you. I was just suggesting" the white haired Jōnin said, finally taking his eyes off his perverted book.

"Too late, Sensei" Sakura added, smiling almost as mischievously as Naruto. "Sasuke-kun, you're coming too, right?"

The Uchiha groaned something about wanting to go home and train with Itachi, but both Naruto and Sakura ended up pulling him down the street to the Ramen restaurant. When they finally arrived and were already eating and talking to each other cheerfully, Naruto could only think of how happy and lucky he was.

Sasuke was totally right. He should be grateful for the amazing life he had: loving parents, an amazing team, many wonderful friends, strong mentors and a good home. Long gone were his disturbing thoughts when he felt that some people like his mom and dad, Jiraiya and even the old Third Hokage were meant to be dead. Or that Konohagakure had been destroyed or that Sasuke had left the village and become his enemy.

He was so unbelievably glad that it wasn't real. Why did he even think of that?

Naruto knew he had no reasons to feel troubled or depressed. His life was great he was grateful for it! What more could he possibly want?

"Tou-chan! Can I have candy?"

Naruto's blue eyes widened and he slowly looked behind. A man and a young boy were walking by a candy store and the child was pulling his father's arm in its direction.

"C'mon! Just one, Tou-chan!"

"No way. I know you" the father said trying to sound stern but ruining it with his smile. "If I give you candy now, you won't eat your dinner."

"No! I promise I'll eat everything! Even veggies!" the boy begged, pushing his dad's shirt. "Please, Daddy!"

"I'll make you a deal. We'll eat ice-cream for desert if you keep your promise and eat all your food, all right son?"

_**"Why don't you come back, Dad?"**_

The boy and his father started walking away, hand in hand. Naruto couldn't take his eyes from them, or ignore how tight his chest had gotten.

"_**Why don't you wake up?"**_

"_**I don't know what to do without you."**_

"_**I don't wanna lose you."**_

"Naruto?" Sakura asked. "What are you doing?"

The blond didn't notice that he had risen from his chair and started walking after the parent and child. When they disappeared into the crowd, the teen felt his heart beat faster with panic. He started looking at every person's face, unconsciously looking for someone he felt that he had to find.

"Where are you?" Naruto asked, looking from one side to the other. "Where did you go?"

"Dobe, sit down!" Sasuke ordered harshly from the Ramen restaurant.

"Naruto! You're freaking everybody out!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Naruto! What's the matter?" Kakashi asked.

But the blond didn't even hear his teammates and teacher, all he could think, all he could focus on was the feeling that he had lost someone very important. His whole body felt wrong all of a sudden. His hands felt too empty, like they were used to hold and carry someone around with him. Someone who depended on him, who needed him, who he loved more than anyone…

Naruto felt like half a person, like half of his own heart was missing. This whole world, no matter how wonderful it was and with all the people he cared about in it, suddenly felt incomplete.

Just like he was. Incomplete.

"_**I want my Daddy back."**_

"Where are you?"

Suddenly, Naruto was pulled into unconsciousness and the street morphed into his bedroom. The bodiless being watching the powerful, sleeping blond, felt increasingly annoyed. No matter how much it tried to erase Naruto's memories of his pathetic kid, the blond would always find a way to remember him.

It would have to try even harder to convince him that this world was real. It should not be this hard! After all, it was giving Naruto everything he ever wanted. The price for this paradise, his memories of the regressed Uchiha kid, was nothing compared to the happiness he was living.

Naruto would live happily in an illusion, along with everyone else, until it finally consumed their last bit of chakra. It was the best way to die: happily and content.

How hard could it be to sever a bond between a parent and his child? As long as Naruto didn't remember him, he wouldn't feel the need to leave this wonderful life it had created for him out of his memories and desires.

After all, he can't love someone he doesn't know anything about.

* * *

**Naruto is in a dream realm! Congratulations to all who guessed it right! BTW, I thought of this way before the Road to Ninja Movie was announced, it was a coincidence! **

**Have you guys seen the new designs for the characters? Wow! That's gonna be so OOC!**

**Also, for Sasuke, like I said, I only changed his eyes. He won't have whisker marks (that would only happen if he had been conceived by a female jinchūriki) and he won't have blond hair or tanned skin. I like his looks.**

**I just thought it wouldn't hurt for him to have something from his new Dad. The eyes are the mirror of the soul, like they say. **

**Well, I hope you liked the small chapter. Feel free to review! I just found out this fic is the 70th most reviewed Naruto fanfic on this site! So THANK YOU GUYS for making it possible!**

**See ya!**


	57. We Meet Again

**Hi! I know the plot is been slow lately, so I tried to speed up the pace. I hope I didn't mess up in the process.**

**PS: Sasuke often switches from calling Naruto Dad to his first name, mostly because he's still confused about his decision and his relationship with Naruto.**

**I hope you like it. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

**We Meet Again**

また会える_(Mata aeru)_

The moment their boat arrived at the Main Island's marina, Kakashi knew something was wrong. He couldn't see anyone on the streets, even though it was a little past nine. Even more disturbing, he couldn't hear anyone, not even animals. Everything was silent like a ghost town.

"Senpai… I have a bad feeling about this place" Yamato said, his body ready for any kind of attack.

"I wonder why no one is here" Sai commented quietly, his hand reaching for the sword on his back. "Is it possible that there was an attack? Maybe an invasion?"

"I can smell several recent scents" Kakashi informed them. "There are people living here, but all this silence is odd."

Yamato moved closer to his veteran comrade, a worried look on his face. "What about Naruto?"

"I can't find his scent here… or Sasuke's" the white haired shinobi said, turning around so he could face Sai as well. "We'll search the main streets first and then go to the upper District. Once I find one of their scents, I'll signal you to follow me quickly and undetected. Do you agree?

"Hai" both men said in unison.

"Alright… let's go" Kakashi whispered.

They started running through the deserted streets, looking at every window with the lights on and finally hearing voices coming from some houses, along with the smell of their dinner.

Something Kakashi noticed right away was the complete absence of laughter. Whoever was talking did so with a quiet and monotone voice. Sometimes, Kakashi heard the sound of crying and sobbing. He could literally feel the grief and hopelessness in the air, heavy and agonizing. The Islanders were all in a deep state of sadness. Also, their voices were fewer than they were supposed to be.

"_What in the world happened in here?"_ the Copy ninja thought. _"Maybe Sai is right… maybe there really was some sort of an invasion." _

Suddenly, Kakashi's black eye widened and he motioned for his two comrades to stop in a concealed alley. Both Yamato and Sai waited patiently while the older Jōnin smelled the air under his mask.

Kakashi had to take his time, because he almost couldn't believe his own senses. The smell he found was so familiar and so nostalgic that he couldn't help but feel his heart tight. The last time he had smelled it had been years ago and he thought that would be his last time. That was why he was having so much trouble believing this scent was truly real.

"I found him" Kakashi whispered, a trace of melancholy on his deep voice.

"Who?" Yamato asked.

Sai looked at his former sensei's face and realized his mixed feelings of joy, sorrow, regret and anger. He had gotten better at understating people's emotions and was particularly clearheaded when it came to his closest friends and mentors.

"Kakashi-sensei…" the black haired ANBU said softly, apparently awakening Kakashi from his reverie.

"I'm certain now" Kakashi said, both to his comrades and to himself. "It's Sasuke's scent. I'm sure of it."

"Sasuke?" Yamato asked with a worried expression. "Sasuke was here? Can you tell how long ago?"

Kakashi closed his eyes. He needed to control his emotions and start thinking objectively like a shinobi, no matter how troubled his heart felt.

"Sasuke was in this street not long ago… a few hours, maybe. His scent is in that direction… the Upper District" Kakashi said, pointing to the imposing mansions that were visible through the trees.

Sai frowned.

"Apparently he has been living comfortably" the younger ninja said bitterly, thinking of all the tears and suffering the Uchiha had caused and how many lives he had destroyed. "Is Naruto's scent here too?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No… I wasn't able to find anything yet. We're going to the Upper District and try to find Sasuke first. Naruto should be with him."

Both Yamato and Sai nodded and the small team disappeared from the alley in a blink of an eye, running up the streets as Kakashi felt Sasuke's scent become fresh and recent.

When they finally arrived to the Upper District, they had to be careful not being seen by two young samurai who were walking down the streets. A small wall surrounded the whole district and, carefully written in tiles, it announced that they had just arrived to the Warrior's District, where the samurai families have been living for centuries.

They managed to go unnoticed by the two samurai and continued running with Kakashi on the lead. They had to be more careful here, since they were "invading" the samurai's neighborhood and it was filled with powerful warriors who, most likely, were able to sense their presence.

Kakashi's main concern was to find either Sasuke, whose scent had gotten particularly strong, or Naruto. After they had found them, well… things would go peacefully or frantically. The white haired Jōnin would have to think of a plan depending on which of his students they found first and their respective reactions.

"Stop" Kakashi whispered.

The three man squad stopped near one of the mansions. Aside from the scent of the blooming flowers on the garden, Kakashi finally found Naruto's scent along with Sasuke's.

"Let's go inside" the Copy Ninja ordered and they entered the mansion's garden.

As soon as they passed the white walls, Sai pointed to the sign carved right above the door. "It's Konohagakure's symbol."

"The Islands' leader must have given them this house" Yamato said, looking at his senpai once more. "What do we do, Kakashi-senpai? Did you find anything?"

"I can feel both of their scents in this house… old and recent, which means they have been in this place for a while" Kakashi answered. "They have been living here together."

"Can you feel other scent besides Naruto or Sasuke?" Yamato asked again. "Shikamaru and the others said Naruto had a son. Can you feel his scent?"

Kakashi tried to find another scent. He found several different scents but they belonged to people who had come to this house and left. If a child had been living here, his scent would be much stronger.

"I can't find a third scent. As far as the evidence show me, only Naruto and Sasuke are living in this house."

The younger ninjas eyes widened in surprise.

"What does that mean? Are you saying there is no son?" Sai asked. "Did Shikamaru lie to us?"

Kakashi looked at the silent house with a frown. "Let's go inside first. We can't make any conclusions until we find Naruto and Sasuke."

Quietly and carefully, Kakashi grabbed the door's handle and it opened. Apparently, they weren't worried that someone could easily break in. After looking at the empty hall way, the older Jōnin motioned for Yamato and Sai to follow him inside the Mansion.

"Don't let your guard down" Kakashi told them as they closed the door.

"We know senpai. This is Sasuke we are dealing with" Yamato said, looking from side to side. "Anything can happen."

"Until proven otherwise, we should be careful about Naruto too" Kakashi said, although he felt sorry for it. "Remember, he has been running away from us for seven years. I don't expect a warm welcome or a happy reunion. He clearly doesn't want to be found."

The three ninjas explored the ground floor cautiously. They were careful not to touch anything or make noise, even though none of them could feel Naruto's or Sasuke's presence, which would have happened since they were two unbelievable strong shinobi.

Kakashi tried to remain focused on the job, but his mind kept wandering as he saw two jackets recklessly tossed on the sofa, or the many books and manga in the bookshelves, the two mugs on the cupboard (one orange and the other blue) or even the pile of dirty clothes coming from the laundry basket. This place wasn't just a house, it was a home. Naruto and Sasuke's home.

They had been living together… all this time.

"_How? Why?"_ Kakashi thought. _"Why did Sasuke change his mind and agree to live with Naruto? What happened during their fight? And what about the child? Did Naruto really have a son or was it a lie to explain his absence?"_

"There's nothing here" Kakashi said quietly. "Let's go upstairs."

They climbed the stairs as silently as they could; somehow managing to avoid any creaking noises from the old wood. The moment they arrived at the long corridor of the first floor, Kakashi stopped abruptly. His black eye was wide with surprise and his nose twitched under his dark mask.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sai asked, ready for any battle even though he still couldn't feel any presence.

"I caught Naruto's scent" Kakashi said, still in a daze. "It's very strong, he's near…"

That statement caught them all by surprise. How could Naruto be near if they couldn't sense his presence?

Kakashi walked to the only room which had the door half-open. He tried to ignore the feeling of dread that was growing inside him, opened the door and entered the bedroom. Yamato and Sai followed him but they all were pinned to the ground as their eyes saw the person laying the bed.

Uzumaki Naruto had his eyes closed and his mouth slightly open. His longer hair was lusterless; his tanned skin was paler and his lips were bluish. However, what was more disturbing was the fact that his chest wasn't moving at all, like he wasn't breathing…

"Naruto?" Kakashi said, moving towards his grownup student, still surprised on how much he resembled his father. "Naruto? Can you hear me?"

The blond didn't move or react when Kakashi reached him and shock him. Instead, the white haired sensei tensed as he felt that the young man's skin was as cold as ice.

"Sensei? Sensei… is he…" Sai asked, not even attempting to hide how scared he was.

Yamato moved to his senpai's side and placed his fingers on Naruto's neck. "I… I can't felt a pulse…"

As Kakashi checked Naruto's vital signs, he cursed himself for not bringing Sakura with them. They needed a medic-nin, damn it. They needed to do something. Seeing Naruto like this… it was just like when Kakashi had seen Minato-sensei for the last time: dead in a coffin.

"He's not breathing and I can't find a pulse… Oh God" Yamato exclaimed, hints of panic in his voice. "It's too late. It's already too late… Naruto is dea…"

"No! Naruto isn't dead!" Sai said, refusing to believe what his eyes saw, there had to be another explanation. "It's Naruto we are talking about! He cannot be dead!"

"Sai! I checked his pulse, he doesn't…!"

"Wait!" Kakashi said.

Sai and Yamato's worried eyes watched in awe as Kakashi removed his Hitai-ate and stared at Naruto with his Sharingan. It took him almost thirty seconds until he found the blond's faint chakra running through his apparently lifeless body. After that, and with his heart jumping against his ribs, Kakashi was able to notice that Naruto's heart was still beating, though incredibly slowly, and his lungs were still working, as he doubled checked by placing his face next to his mouth.

"He's alive" the older ninja finally said. "He's a deep coma and both his pulse and breathing are very faint, but he's still alive."

"You mean it?" Yamato asked, both relieved and still warily.

"I knew Naruto wouldn't die this easily" Sai muttered, glad that his heart had been right instead of reason.

Without a word, Kakashi pulled the three blankets that covered Naruto and carefully took the young man into his arms. It felt so strange and yet so familiar at the same time… Strange because Naruto was the splitting image of his sensei, familiar because he still felt like the Naruto he had trained, watched over and even carried on his back a few times. However, the blond looked so cold, so pale and sick that Kakashi's heart ached. Naruto had always been so full of life, happy and healthy…not like this. This was everything Naruto wasn't!

"_What happened Naruto?"_ Kakashi though. _"Who did this to you?"_

"Kakashi-sensei? What are we going to do now?" Sai asked, watching attentively as the older Jōnin placed Naruto's unconscious body on his back.

"Naruto needs medical attention immediately" he answered. "First, we'll take him with us to a safe place. Then, as soon as we find a way to break the barrier, we'll take him with us."

"What about Sasuke?" Yamato asked.

Kakashi closed his eyes. He wanted to find Sasuke, but Naruto's condition was a lot more important now. Although he was wearing his garments, he could still feel his student's cold body against his. He had failed to save Obito, Rin or help Minato-sensei, he failed when he was unable to teach Sasuke the importance of friendship and prevent his defection, but he would not fail to save Naruto. There was no way he would let him die.

"We'll have to deal with Sasuke later. Let's go!"

Kakashi led his team out of the mansion and the small group started running towards the woods, in order to find a more secluded place to plan their next move.

That was when a sword landed right in front of Kakashi, forcing the white haired man to jump backwards. It took him exactly five seconds to recognize the Sword of Kusanagi, even though the last time he had seen it was stuck on an old rock, rusting.

Kakashi looked up and saw a red-eyed, angry young man, picking up the chokutō and glaring at him and his two comrades with gargantuan amounts of rage. It didn't even take half a second to recognize him.

"It's been a while, Sasuke" the white haired Jōnin said.

* * *

"_Calm down… You need to calm down"_ Sasuke thought to himself as he looked at the white haired man and then his two comrades, however, his gaze quickly reverted back to the blond who they taking.

These men had broken into _**their**_ house and taken Naruto. Scratch that, they were _**kidnapping**_ him and taking him away.

Sasuke had only been out for fifteen minutes. He only wanted to walk and get some fresh air before returning home and go to sleep. Then, to his absolute horror, he saw three unknown figures leave his house with his unconscious father.

As they ran away, the raven felt glued to the ground with panic. Even though he had decided that he was going to become the best friend Naruto wanted and deserved, the moment he saw those people take him, his childish heart took over his adult and reasonable brain.

"_Daddy! They're taking Daddy!"_ he had thought. _"They can't do this… they can't take him!"_

Sasuke had been ready to just ran after them and take his Tou-chan back, but his emotions didn't cloud his common sense and he went to the Mansion to grab _Kizuna_ before chasing them.

Now that he had made them stop, the young raven noticed the how the youngest man, who was about Naruto's age he guessed, was also glaring at him and ready to fight him. The other man, with brown hair and a weird plaque on his face was also ready for some sort of attack. However, Sasuke's attention was mainly focused on the masked guy who, not only was carrying Naruto on his back, but also looked very familiar.

Sasuke's red eyes widened as he noticed the symbol of a leaf on their forehead protectors and what that meant. They Konoha shinobi and the masked guy knew him. He had said Sasuke's name. He knew him. Or at least, he knew who he used to be…

The young man's stiffened a little as the image of the Team 7 photograph appeared on his mind. He had been mostly focused on Naruto and his rival (it was still strange to think of him as his past self), but he had noticed the two other people on the photo: the smiling, pink haired girl and the older man who was grabbing the boys' heads.

"_Jōnin Hatake Kakashi… that was what was written on the back of the photo"_ Sasuke thought, staring at the masked man more attentively. _"This man is Tou-chan's sensei… my sensei too."_

"Hatake Kakashi" Sasuke said coolly and carefully, watching the older man's reaction. Apparently he had gotten the name right, but he didn't know the other two ninja or why they were here.

"You've grown a lot, Sasuke" Kakashi said casually, but still holding a kunai on his hand. "How long as it been? Six? Seven years?"

Sasuke was having a hard time trying to hide how confused he was. Questions just kept popping in his head. Of course Kakashi wouldn't be surprised that Sasuke looked like a grown man since he, most likely, didn't know about his rebirth. Nevertheless, if Kakashi was his sensei, then why didn't he seem happy to see him? Why was he taking Naruto? Why were they ready to attack him? It didn't make any sense.

However, one glance at the blond haired man on Kakashi's shoulders made Sasuke put aside all his questions. The most important issue was getting his father back. It didn't matter that this man used to be their teacher; Sasuke wasn't going to let him take his Dad away.

"What are you doing here?" the raven man demanded to know, still glaring at Kakashi.

"That is what I wanted to know" the Jōnin answered. "I never thought that you and Naruto would be living together. What happened to you two?"

"None of your business" the young man said, pointing _Kizuna_ menacingly at Kakashi. "Now, give Naruto back."

Kakashi frowned. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Then… I'll take him by force" Sasuke jumped and his sword clashed with Kakashi's kunai.

Sasuke was surprised to see a matured Sharingan on that man's left eye, but there was no time for that. Kakashi looked slightly surprised too, when he stared deep into Sasuke's Sharingan.

Sensing movement on his right, Sasuke jumped away from Kakashi as two huge, white and weird looking lions tried to attack him. Efficiently, the raven slashed them with his sword and watched, confused, as they burst into ink. When Sasuke looked at the nearest tree, he saw the youngest shinobi staring angrily at him with a scroll on his hand and a paint-brush on the other. Not a second later, he drew something on the scroll, made the hand seals and his drawing of three more lions became alive.

"_I see… so that's what you do"_ Sasuke thought, slashing through the lions and jumping in the young ninja's direction. However, once more the raven was stopped when several wooden pillars almost crushed him if he hadn't jumped away on time.

"Thanks, Yamato-taichou" the ink user shinobi said.

"Don't thank me yet, Sai" Yamato said. "Don't let your guard down."

"I won't" Sai answered, his glare becoming even colder than before. "I know exactly with whom we're dealing with."

Sasuke was surprised by the amount of resentment on the ink user's words, who he now knew was named Sai. Why were these people so eager to take him down? What had he ever done to them? They were all from the same village, they shouldn't be fighting.

Out of nowhere, Sasuke caught a glimpse of someone moving towards him and his body reacted immediately to block the small sword that clashed against his _Kizuna_. When he looked up, he realized it was Sai who had attacked. Apparently he was also very skilled with kenjutsu, not just ink beasts created with chakra.

"It's useless to fight us, Sasuke. You can't run away anymore" Sai said, bitterly.

"Hmph! I'm not planning on running away" Sasuke answered, though he was a bit confused by Sai's words. Run away anymore? What was he talking about? Since when did he run away?

Sai's black eyes became even colder and, though Sasuke would never admit it, he felt a shiver down his spine.

"What did you do, Sasuke?" Sai asked with an icy rage. "What have you done to Naruto _**this time**_?"

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock and his mask of aloofness started to shatter. "What…? What are you…?"

"How many times do you have to hurt Naruto until you're satisfied?" Sai went on, each of his words piercing Sasuke like daggers.

"I… I didn't… I haven't…" the raven stammered, the wound in his heart starting to ache more than ever.

"Why the hell do you want Naruto for? Didn't you hurt him enough in the past?" Sai yelled in a very uncharacteristically way, but he had enough. He was sick and tired of seeing his friends getting hurt over and over by this selfish bastard, who didn't give a damn about anyone else but himself. "You don't deserve having Naruto as a friend, Sasuke. You never did!"

"Shut up!" Sasuke yelled, moving away from Sai. His red eyes were now bright and his throat was too tight. What the fuck was this guy saying? He didn't understand this at all.

Yamato tried to catch the raven once more with his Mokuton, but Sasuke was quick and burned the wood with his Katon before running towards Kakashi. He needed to take Naruto from him first. Anything else could wait!

Once more, Sasuke's sword clashed several times against Kakashi's kunai. The raven had to admit that this man was very good, no wonder he had been his father's teacher.

"Sasuke… I don't want to harm you" Kakashi said quietly.

"You're talking like you actually can, Kakashi" the raven said with a sneer, before catching himself on those words. Where did that come from? Weren't they sensei and student? Then why did Sasuke feel all that hostility against him? Why did he feel angry and awkward to see them?

"_What happened in the past?"_ the raven thought. _"What did I do?"_

Kakashi finally dodged Sasuke's chokutō and his kunai pierced the raven's arm. Sasuke moaned in pain for a brief moment, before his pained expression turned into a confident grin.

"Gotcha" Sasuke said, bursting into a cloud of smoke.

"Huh? A clone?" Kakashi said, but it was too late to retaliate and the real Sasuke was able to kick Kakashi in the legs from behind and grab Naruto. _"Shit! He was too fast."_

Sasuke landed a few meters away from them and stared at Naruto's sleeping face with tears behind his eyes. He wasn't going to cry! Not in front of this people! But he felt so happy and relieve to have Naruto back. He just couldn't bring himself to imagine what he would do if they had managed to take him away. Sasuke wasn't sure he could _survive_ that.

"_But this isn't over yet"_ the raven thought, staring at the three ninja and pushing Naruto's cold body against him. _"I can't fight them all. They're too powerful for me and I need to hide Tou-chan. How…?"_

"That is enough" a deep, serious voice echoed through the trees.

Sasuke's eyes widened and he had to stop his jaw from dropping when several people surrounded them out of nowhere, armed to the teeth with swords, bows, arrows, kunai and shuriken.

Sasuke's shoulders relaxed as he saw his fellow adult-children, but his expression remained stubbornly irritated when he saw Riku standing at his side with his "I'm-a-badass-leader" stance.

"Who told you to intervene?" the raven asked.

"It's my Island and my responsibility. I've said it before, there won't be any deaths" Riku said, his blue eyes shifting from Sasuke to the three ninjas. "They have the Konohagakure symbol. Do you know them, Sasuke?"

Sasuke opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He didn't know what to say. He had known these people in the past, but they were strangers to him now.

"We are shinobi from Konoha. My name is Hatake Kakashi" the Copy Ninja said loud and clear so they would all hear him. "Me and my comrades, Yamato and Sai, are Naruto's former teammates."

"Teammates?" Riku looked at Sasuke, who deliberately looked away. "How did you pass the barrier? No one was able to go through it yet."

"The barrier only locks you on the inside, which is why we were able to get in" Yamato explained. "We've also felt that a source of strange chakra was creating the barrier. Whoever is creating it is on the Islands as well."

Some of the islanders began to chatter among themselves, surprised by this new information. Riku was also interested, but he needed to know what these outsiders wanted and why they were fighting Sasuke.

"Why did you come here?" the silver haired man asked. "As far as I know, none of our attempts to get help from the continent succeeded. You didn't come with the intention to help us."

Kakashi covered his Sharingan eye with his Hitai-ate. "A comrade on Konoha hinted that Naruto might be on these Islands, we came to find him."

"Naruto-san?" Riku noticed that Sasuke had pushed his father's body closer against his chest. "If that is true, then why did you fight with Sasuke? He's been living with Naruto-san here for a while."

Kakashi stared at Sasuke, also noticing how protectively he was holding Naruto and the determination and fear in his eyes. Sasuke wasn't going to let them take Naruto from him, the question was why.

"I'm afraid our fight with Sasuke is Konoha's business" Kakashi said. "I was told the leader of the Islands was an older man called Sanada Shigeru. May I ask who you are?"

Riku crossed his arms over his chest. "My name is Sanada Riku. I'm Shigeru's son and temporary leader of the Islands because my father is unwell. Whatever you wanted to talk to him, you can say it to me."

Kakashi frowned. He found it strange that all the people that were surrounding them were all about the same age. There were no teenagers or older people, just young men and women on their twenties. "We were told something horrible happened here. When we found Naruto, he was in that state. What happened?"

"Most of our family members are in the same death like state" Riku explained, though he was still pondering if he should trust these ninja or not. "We were attacked by a very powerful enemy and their chakra and life force was drained. We've been trying to find a way to heal them ever since."

"Drained? Did you defeat this enemy?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes, but his curse wasn't broken" Riku answered. "I'm going to ask you again: why were you fighting Sasuke?"

The Copy Ninja sighed. This boy was obstinate and they were outnumbered. Besides, he didn't want to cause a conflict between nations or attack these young warriors who had just gone through some terrible adversity. The best way to handle this was through diplomacy. After all, they were all stuck there and needed all the help they could get.

"We were taking Naruto and Sasuke tried to stop us" Kakashi replied, while Riku's expression became rather surprised. "That was why we were fighting."

Riku stared at the raven, hoping for some kind of explanation, but he remained silent and refused to look at him in the eyes. "So… you know Sasuke as well?"

"Yes."

"You're not surprised by his appearance?"

Kakashi blinked but his face remained impassive. "We haven't seen him or Naruto for seven years; we expected they would be adults by now."

"But Sasuke is…"

"I'm going back home now" Sasuke suddenly exclaimed. "You can handle them, Riku. Just make sure they won't come near our house again."

Riku glared at Sasuke. "Wait a minute! You have to explain to me…"

"Riku! It's okay" an older voice was heard and everybody looked behind Sasuke and Riku where an older man appeared, walking slowly with the help of his crutches.

"Tou-san! You should be resting" Riku said, moving towards the older samurai. "I can handle this, there's no need for you to strain yourself."

"You've been doing a wonderful job, son. However, I have something to say to Kakashi-dono and his comrades. Something Tsunade-sama only told me."

Riku, Kakashi, Sai and Yamato stared at Shigeru in disbelief, while Sasuke just couldn't wait to leave and lock himself and Naruto in their home so no one would ever try to take him away again.

"If we're done here, then I'll go back to our house" Sasuke said, placing the blond on his back and disappearing into the woods.

* * *

Only a few minutes later, Sasuke arrived at their home, ran upstairs and carefully placed Naruto on his bed.

"I'm sorry" Sasuke said, covering the blond with several blankets and removing his hair from his cold face. "I'm sorry I left. If I had been here, they wouldn't have been able to take you."

**_"What did you do, Sasuke? What have you done to Naruto _this time_?"_**

"What did that guy mean by that? The way he talked, was like I had done something horrible to you" Sasuke whispered, his chest hurting for some reason. "They were all acting like I was an enemy… I don't understand… Did I hurt you before? Did we have a fight?"

Naruto remained silent. Overcome with painful feeling of doubt and confusion, Sasuke moved away from him. "Maybe… I should have let them take you Tou… Naruto."

"Naruto?"

Sasuke almost jumped and turned around so quickly that he hurt his neck. To his dismay, Riku was standing by the door frame, staring at the raven with a very serious expression.

"Damn it, Riku! You almost gave me a heart attack" Sasuke cried out. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Riku walked towards his classmate and stared at his eyes. In the woods, Sasuke's eyes had been bright red, now they were black as coal again. He really wanted to know how he did that, but the silver haired heir had more important questions in mind.

"That Kakashi guy and the others went with my father to our Mansion" Riku explained. "They want to talk in private for some reason."

"So?"

"_**So**_ I want answers" Riku said, finally showing his exasperation. "Those ninja knew you. Not just Naruto-san, but you too and they didn't look surprised at all that you're seventeen years older than you're supposed to be."

Sasuke sighed and rubbed his forehead, which was starting to hurt really badly. "Like they said, it's Konoha's business. It's none of your concern."

"The hell it is! These are my Islands and my people who I ordered to help you today" Riku yelled. "My people's safety is my business. As long as you live here and people come looking for you, it's my business too."

"I didn't ask for your help, Riku!"

"But I still saved your sorry ass. The least you could do is tell me what the hell I saved you from. Why were they trying to take Naruto-san? Why weren't they surprised that you looked older?"

"Because this is my real age!" Sasuke cried out, pointing in anger to his adult body. "**This** is what I was meant to look like!"

Riku was speechless for a few seconds and could only stare as Sasuke covered his face with both his hands and sat in Naruto's bed.

"What are you talking about?" the samurai asked. "Sasuke… you're not making any sense."

After rubbing his tired eyes, Sasuke grabbed the Team 7 photo and handed it to Riku. It didn't take long for the Sanada to recognize the man in the mask as Kakashi, and then he realized that the blond boy with the whisker marks was most likely Naruto. His eyes became wide as saucers when he was finally able to recognize the raven pre-teen that was glaring at Naruto in the photo.

"This black haired kid… He is…" Riku stammered.

"He's me" Sasuke revealed, his eyes filled with sadness. "I know it's hard to believe, but that guy is me… ten or eleven years ago."

"But… how? How can he be you? You're a kid! You're Naruto-san's son."

"No, I'm not" Sasuke shock his head, but refused to look at Riku because it was easier this way. "I'm not his real son. I was… I was his teammate back then. From what I know, I was his rival and his best friend… we were a happy team."

Riku wanted to ask more questions, but decided it was best to let Sasuke talk.

"I don't know all the details but he told me I got very sick" Sasuke explained. "I was dying, so my brother used a kinjutsu on me."

"Your brother?"

"He died, but he wanted me to have a happy life and a family. That is why he used a kinjutsu to make me a baby again and I lost all my memories in the process" Sasuke looked at the comatose Naruto, resisting the urge to hold his hand. "He was there when it happened and Nii-san asked him to look after me. He adopted me."

Riku looked at Sasuke, but the raven remained silent. It was a lot of information to get and, a part of him, still couldn't believe that his brooding classmate, who visibly adored his Daddy, had actually been his former teammate and was really a 24 year old man.

"If you used to be Naruto-san's teammate, that means you were Kakashi's student too" Riku said quietly. "Why was he fighting you?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I don't know! I have no idea why! Naruto told me I was adopted when I was four and then he told me about my brother's kinjutsu. I had no idea we were teammates! He talked about his rival all the time, but he didn't tell me he was my past self! I found out when I fought him because of Nobunaga's mind control. I was so jealous… I thought Naruto didn't want me to be his best friend because he loved his teammate more. I didn't know he and I were the same person."

Sasuke stared at Naruto with tears brimming in his eyes. "I'm going to make up to him."

"What?" Riku asked.

"When he wakes up, I'm going to make it up to Naruto" Sasuke said. "I know how much he misses the days when we were teammates. He put that all aside so I could have a childhood, but he won't have to do it anymore."

Riku blinked in confusion. "What do you mean? And why do you keep calling him Naruto now? He's still your Dad."

Sasuke wasn't sure why he was telling Riku this of all people, but he had kept so much to himself lately that he felt he was about to explode. "Naruto made a huge sacrifice for me when he agreed to adopt me and raise me like a son. It was painful for him, I know that now. That's why he doesn't need to do it anymore. I'll learn everything I used to know and I'll turn back into the best friend he lost because of me."

For a while, Riku waited to see if Sasuke was going to say anything else, but the raven simply stared at Naruto-san's sleeping face. When he realized he wasn't joking, the young Sanada finally cried out.

"Sasuke! Have you lost your mind?"

Sasuke looked at Riku's angry expression with a look of confusion in his eyes. "What?"

"You really think that turning back into Naruto-san's teammate is going to make him happy?" Riku yelled with anger and disbelief. "For someone so smart, you really are stupid!"

Sasuke stood up and walked towards his classmate. "Shut the fuck up, Riku! You do you think you are to judge what I do? You don't know anything about me or Naruto! You didn't listen to him when he talked about his teammate. He missed him! He missed him so much! So I'm bringing him back and give Naruto what he wants for a change!"

"You really think you can just learn a few facts and background and magically turn into his teammate again? Newsflash, you can't do it" Riku exclaimed, almost screaming on Sasuke's face. "You can't change the way you feel about someone like that, especially about your father."

"He's not my father, he's my teammate" Sasuke yelled, though his heart ached when he said those words. "We never were a real father and son to begin with. Naruto was just playing the part for my sake because I needed a father figure. You have no idea how hard it must have been for him to look after the rival he admired and go from spars to changing his diapers."

"I'm not saying it was easy for him, I'm saying I believe Naruto-san isn't the kind of person who is able to fake his real feelings to please someone else. He's too honest" Riku said, forcing Sasuke to look at him in the eyes. "I went with him when he was getting your sword fixed. I heard the way he talked about you and how proud he was of his son. _**Son!**_ He had stars on his eyes every time he talked about you and how he couldn't wait to give you your present. He called you his miracle, his legacy, his boy… He never seemed uncomfortable when he called you "son". I looked at him and saw a real father, the one I wanted my father to be."

Sasuke shoved Riku's hands away from his collar and walked towards the window, so he wouldn't look at him anymore. Even though he knew that was a cowardly attitude, he couldn't face what he was telling him. Part of him wanted very badly to accept it, but the other remained confused and lost about what to do to make up for all the sorrow he had caused Naruto.

"You have no right to say that to me!" Sasuke said. "You and your father had your problems, but you are his real son and nothing can change that. Don't talk about me like you understand!"

"Bullshit! I'll talk to you when you're acting like an asshole! You think you're the only person who had it rough? Open your eyes, everybody has issues whether it's with their families or not! So you're a kid because of a kinjutsu… It doesn't matter, you're still a kid! And the adoption? You think that really makes a family less valid? Naruto-san changed your diapers, rocked you to sleep, bathed you, dressed you, fed you, played with you and did all those things fathers do. Am I wrong?"

Sasuke closed his eyes; he wasn't going to cry now. "What the hell is your problem? Don't you see I'm just trying to do the right thing? Don't you think it's hard for me too? But if that is what makes Tou-chan happy, I'll do it. I'm done being selfish and make him miserable."

Riku sighed and turned around to leave, but not before he told his classmate one last thing. "You might think you're doing the right thing, but you won't be able to do it. It will only bring you grief and break Naruto-san's heart. Relationships change, but you can never stop being your father's child."

Sasuke remained silent; with his back to Riku and wishing he would leave and stop making him feel more confused than he already was. He had made up his mind, damn it! He was so sure he was doing the right thing and now that bastard had made feel lost all over again.

The Sanada was about to leave the bedroom when he heard someone climbing the stairs. Sasuke heard it too and walked to Riku, ready to fight whoever was coming. To their surprise, a blond haired man climbed the stairs peacefully and, when he noticed the two youths staring at him with bulging eyes he simply smiled kindly.

"So there you are. I knocked on the door, but no one opened and I heard screaming" he said. "I'm sorry to intrude."

"Who…?" Sasuke mumbled.

"Muramasa-sama? What are you doing here? How come you're not…?" Riku asked, completely baffled.

"In a coma?" Muramasa said. "Well… I was able to escape Nobunaga, because he wasn't looking for me. Neither did you when you managed to defeat him."

Riku gaped. The swordsmith was right, he had totally forgotten about him until now. "But… how…?"

Instead of answering, Muramasa took a small pendant from his kimono and showed the small violet crystal to the boys.

"Is that… the crystal?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes. I've been carrying it for a very long time."

"Why do you have a piece of the crystal?" Riku asked.

"That is a long story, but before I tell you that, I have to show you something that took me two weeks to find" Muramasa took a big and heavy book from his bag and handed it to Riku.

"What is it?" the silver haired young man asked.

"It's my late wife's notes about the crystal when she was studying it" the swordsmith revealed. "She wrote everything she knew about it in there, long before Nobunaga decided to use it for his own purposes."

"The crystal? How can that help us?" Sasuke asked, glaring at this unknown man. "I destroyed the crystal along with Nobunaga."

Muramasa nodded. "True, you destroyed Nobunaga's soul that was bound to a crystal. But you didn't destroy the main crystal, only a fragment of it. The coma isn't Nobunaga's doing, it's the crystal's. There is more to it than meets the eye."

"The crystal is doing this?" Riku asked in shock. "How?"

"The answers are in that book" Muramasa said. "Hopefully, I also found the way awake everybody from their coma. However, the task might be almost impossible to survive."

* * *

**Muramasa reveals his importance to the plot. It was kind you strange that he was older than 90 years old, right? ^_^**

**I know I didn't developed many of the characters emotions like I wanted to, but I'm saving it for the following chapters. Mostly, Kakashi and Sai's feelings about Naruto's condition and Sasuke.**

**I know most of you wanted a big reveal of Sasuke's rebirth to the Konoha shinobi and Riku was the one who got it instead. Well… I have plans for that, I can only ask you for a little of your patience. **

**Hopefully, we'll see more Naruto next chapter. **

**I hope it wasn't a disappointment.**

**See you guys later!**


	58. Crystals and Dreams

**Hi! This chapter his small, but I intend to update sooner.**

**Also, a shout out for Sharo-chan who has started to translate this fic into French. Bonne chance! Si vous parlez français, n'oubliez pas de vérifier sa traduction. (Eng: If you speak French, don't forget to check her translation).**

* * *

**Crystals and Dreams**

結晶と夢 (_Kesshō to yume)_

"Well… I suppose I should start by asking you what do you want to know" Shigeru said quietly, while sitting across the table from the three curious shinobi in his big living room.

Kakashi could feel Yamato and Sai's eyes fixed on his back, expecting him to speak first. Looking at the Sanada leader in the eye, Kakashi found it very strange that a man in his thirties would have a twenty-four or twenty-five year old son. However, it wasn't his place to ask personal questions about the man's family life. They were there because of his former students.

"Alright… Can you tell us what do you know about Naruto and Sasuke? What are they doing in your islands?" the white-haired Jōnin asked.

"About a year ago, Tsunade-sama wrote me a letter asking for permission to house both Naruto-dono and Sasuke. Naruto-dono was learning the ways of a leader with me before he could return to his village and become Hokage" the samurai explained, rubbing his bandaged leg. "Tsunade-sama asked me to be careful since Sasuke was not only the last Uchiha member alive but also because of his… unfortunate deeds in the past."

"You agreed to hide an international criminal?" Yamato asked. "Weren't you worried about your people's safety?"

"I trust the Hokage's words that the boy has changed and I've seen with my own eyes his interaction with Naruto-san. I know he changed and he poses no danger to us" Shigeru said. "Actually, he was the one who saved me and my son's life during the invasion."

Shigeru told the Konoha's ninja about Nobunaga's invasion, how he had taken control of their children, aged them and made them attack their own families, leaving them in the death state.

"All who were already in the Death Sleep would have died as Nobunaga continued to drain their chakra, but Naruto-dono saved my people by giving that monstrous ghost almost all the chakra he had so he wouldn't need to take anybody else's" the Sanada leader closed his eyes and slowly bowed his head in Kakashi's direction. "Your student really is remarkable. He sacrificed himself for all of us, who aren't even from his homeland. He is a true hero."

Kakashi looked down. "That's the way Naruto is… He would save his friends, regardless from their origin."

"His sacrifice saved our families' lives but he was left in the same comatose state ever since. Fortunately, Sasuke was able to go where Nobunaga had taken me, using my son to kill me and then take over his body. He saved us both and managed to destroy Nobunaga's vile spirit once and for all. He too is a hero."

Shigeru's words were so filled with kindness that none of the other men dared to contradict him. Still, the memory of the cruel and ruthless Sasuke they remembered were too powerful to ignore. They had seen the burned villages, the corpses and the grief-streaking faces of their families. Sai doubted he could ever forgive Sasuke for that and for all the pain he had caused Sakura and Naruto in the past.

As for Kakashi, he felt torn upon hearing that man complementing Sasuke as a hero. On one hand, it was difficult to think of Sasuke as a heroic and selfless person after everything that had happened since his defection. However, deep down, he still loved his fallen student dearly and wished with all his heart that he had truly changed into a better person.

So far, Kakashi had learned that Naruto and Sasuke had come together to this island and that they had lived peacefully together. Nevertheless, there was still something important that needed to be explained.

"Shigeru-san, I was told that Naruto had a son and yet you haven't mentioned him once." Kakashi said, noticing how the samurai's eyes had become slightly wide. "I have to ask… Naruto really had a child? If he did, where is the boy?"

"There is no son."

The three ninja and the samurai turned around to see Sasuke entering the living room and wearing Nobunaga's battle clothes. Riku followed the raven, glaring angrily at him.

"What do you mean?" Sai asked with a frown. "Shikamaru and his team told us Naruto had a kid."

Sasuke didn't sit down; he simply stared blankly at the ninja. "There was a son… once. But he's gone now. It's no use looking for him."

"Sasuke…" Shigeru said, while the raven shook his head.

Kakashi noticed the weird looks Sasuke and Shigeru were exchanging, as well as Riku's glare. They knew more than they were telling.

"Forget that, we have important news" the raven young man said. "There might be a way to wake up everybody."

"What?" Shigeru asked, perplexed. "How do you know that?"

"There's someone you need to hear, Tou-san" Riku said, turning to the door. "Please come in, Muramasa-sama."

The swordsmith entered the living room and kneeled before the surprised Sanada leader and the confused ninja. After a slow bow, the blond man looked up with a kind smile on his young face.

"Sanada-sama, guests from Konohagakure, it's a pleasure to see you" Muramasa said, impassive by the shock his presence at provoked. "I am sorry that I couldn't be of any help during the invasion, but I hope I can help now."

"Muramasa-sama has a pendant made from a piece of the crystal Nobunaga was using" Riku explained, deducing that his father had already told the shinobi what had happened. "That crystal protected him by making all of us _"forget"_ him. Also, he brought us a book his wife wrote… about the crystals. They're the ones causing the Death Sleep, not Nobunaga."

"What? What do you know, Muramasa-sama?" Shigeru asked. "Please, explain."

Muramasa nodded. Soon, they were all sitting at the table, looking attentively at the swordsmith while he touched his wife's book carefully with his long fingers.

"Before I can tell you about how to reverse the curse, I have to tell you a little about myself and Mariko, my wife" Muramasa smiled tenderly at the memory before proceeding. "She was the one who discovered the crystals in one of the Islands caves and she started studying them and their amazing properties. You see… she wasn't allowed to become a samurai because of her frail body, so she dedicated herself to research instead. However, ever since she wasn't accepted to be a warrior, her family started considering her a failure, especially her brother… Nobunaga."

"Eh?" Riku exclaimed, while the others looked in dismay at Muramasa. "Your wife was Nobunaga's sister? How is that possible? That guy was my great-grandfather's age! That would mean you're over ninety years old!"

"Riku! Don't interrupt Muramasa-sama" Shigeru scolded softly, but enough to make the silver-haired boy blush and sit still again. Although his son looked like an independent adult on the inside, his expressions betrayed his real age.

"I know that is difficult to understand. I never told anyone about me until this day, but I hope it will be clearer once I finish" Muramasa said, looking at Riku and then at everybody else. "Long story short, Mariko and I met and fell in love. Shortly after we married, I took over my father's place as a swordsmith and Mariko continued her studies. It was around that time that she discovered the crystals growing in a far-off cave and decided to learn everything about them. Nobunaga came to visit us from time to time, but he rude and patronizing towards us, yet Mariko still loved her brother and started telling him her findings about the crystals. He never seemed very interested until the day the crystals saved my life."

Muramasa sighed and showed them his small crystal.

"I fell down a cliff and I was seriously injured. The doctors couldn't do anything to save me" the blond man continued. "Mariko was desperate. She would do anything to save me, so she used her knowledge about the crystals' properties and tried to heal me" Muramasa smiled sadly. "It worked perfectly. Neither of us could understand how it happened, we were just glad for that miracle. After that, she gave me this pendant and made me promise that I would never take it off. However… my extraordinary healing finally caught Nobunaga's attention and he started to ask more and more questions about the crystals."

Muramasa lowered his head, his face pained with sadness and guilt.

"He wanted her data on the crystals, didn't he?" Kakashi concluded. "He wanted to use it to his own purposes."

Muramasa nodded slowly, his green eyes begging for understanding. "You have to understand… Despite everything, Mariko loved her brother and when he finally appeared to acknowledge her work, she told him all about it. We had no idea that he was going to use the crystals to revolt against the Islands… Her crime was her blind love for her brother, while mine was being unable to realize what he was up to. As a result, Nobunaga murdered my wife after she was no longer useful and I lost the person I loved the most. This tiny crystal has kept me alive all these years, I never aged, got sick or injured. And I vowed I would find a way to make up for all the pain and death I allowed to happen."

Muramasa looked directly into Shigeru's eyes. After a few long seconds, the samurai crosseed his arms around his chest and faced the swordsmith. "I suppose that pendant also made us think that it was absolutely normal that you were always around. I never suspected that you were older than I was, even though I remember asking you for a sword when I was a boy."

"That is correct" Muramasa said.

"I see… I have to admit that I wished you had told us about the crystals sooner, but I believe you had your reasons" Shigeru said, to which Muramasa nodded solemnly. "Can you break this dreadful curse?"

"I'm afraid I don't have the power to do that. What I do know is a way to break the crystals control" Muramasa said. "However, like I said to Riku and Sasuke, it is a very dangerous task."

All men look at one another. It was Shigeru who voiced what they were all thinking. "We'll do anything to save our families and loved ones. Please, Muramasa-sama… tell what you know."

"Very well…" the swordsmith rubbed his hands against each other and, suddenly, he looked as old as he was. "The Death Sleep happened once with my wife. She told me she that the crystals needed more than chakra to develop, they needed human life force. So, she was going to try to give it some of hers to see what would happen. At first, everything was going smoothly, then, out of the blue, Mariko fainted. I panicked and tried everything to wake her up. When nothing seemed to work, I just held her close and begged her to come back to me. She woke the next morning."

"How come she woke up? I've done that for two weeks and it didn't work!" Sasuke asked abruptly, shocking the ninjas. His voice was filled with angst and his eyes wide with fear. The young man could barely keep his hands from trembling. "Why… why didn't it work?"

Kakashi was perplexed. Sasuke had just admitted that he had been desperately trying to wake up Naruto. Since when were his feelings for the blond that strong? He had never seen Sasuke care so much about Naruto, not even when they were friends on team 7.

"_This is way beyond friendship"_ Kakashi thought, remembering how protectively the Uchiha had hugged Naruto when they tried to take him. _"This is love. He loves Naruto."_

Muramasa looked at the raven with a small smile. "It's more complicated than that, Sasuke. It wasn't that I begged her to come back to me or what we had between us was stronger than with you and Naruto-san. She only gave the crystal a small amount of chakra and life force, but it was enough to pull her into the Death Sleep. When she woke up, at first she didn't know who I was. It took her a minute to recover her real memories."

"Real… memories?" Sasuke asked, his mouth dry.

"She told me she didn't even realize that she was dreaming. She was living with her parents and brother again and they adored her, like she always wanted. She was only able to wake up because she realized that someone was missing from her memories and that hurt her a lot. _**That**_ was when she knew that world wasn't real and woke up."

The men's eyes look at Muramasa with the same confused expression. They seemed to be waiting for him to explain but Sasuke is too restless.

"You're saying they're all living a dream?" the raven asks, his eyes fearful and hurt. "Is that why they don't wake up, because their dream is so good?"

"It's only part of the reason" Muramasa explains. "The crystal needs life force to grow… _human_ life force. It will do anything to keep the people asleep; including creating their most desirable fantasy world and make them forget their true memories. The crystal is sentient, but it's incapable to dream. It needs dreamers, their minds, their souls… Right now, they are all stuck inside the crystal's core, living their perfect life until the crystal absorbs all their life force and swallows their souls into it."

All of them looked shocked by this revelation, even the air became heavier. Sasuke lowered his head, clenching his pants with his trembling hands. Riku stared fearfully at his father, both thinking about his grandmother. Kakashi stared at Sasuke, still studying his reaction, and then he turned to Muramasa again.

"If I understood this correctly, the people can wake up from their dream if they realize it's fake" Kakashi said.

"Correct. My wife vaguely remembered me and she understood that something wasn't right because I wasn't there. If we managed to make them remember their true memories, the dream will be shattered and the crystal won't be able to hold them."

"How can we do that?" Shigeru asked. "There are hundreds of people sleeping. How can we wake them all up before they die? We don't have much time left."

"We don't need to wake up everybody" Muramasa explained. "When Muramasa used the crystals' power to drain everybody, there was one person who provided more chakra than all the islanders." Sasuke looked up wide-eyed. "Naruto-san was the one who has more chakra in his body and he's more powerful than most people. The crystal took a particular liking to his soul."

"What does that mean?" Sasuke asked.

"It means that if he wakes up, that will create a chain reaction" the swordsmith said, smiling before the young man's hope. "His will his truly strong. Once he breaks the crystal's curse, it won't have the power to hold anyone else and the other islanders will also be released."

Sasuke smiled, his eyes bright and wide. While Kakashi continued to observe his strange behavior.

"I'm afraid we will need more than begging to wake him up" Muramasa continued. "It's been too much time and the crystal is stronger now. We need to go directly into the source… the crystal core."

"But I destroyed the crystal!" Sasuke exclaimed. "There was nothing left!"

"Nobunaga was just using a part of the crystal that he used to store his soul. The original crystal must still be in the caves where my wife originally found it. I can take one person there."

"One person? Why just one?" Yamato asked. "Wouldn't it be easier to destroy the crystal if we all went together?"

Muramasa shook his head. "We can't destroy it from the outside or all the souls it collected would be trapped in the abyss of nonbeing forever. All I can do is send one person soul inside Naruto-san's dream. That person would have to convince him that he's dreaming and break the curse. However, it is a very dangerous task" the blond man frowned and his eyes darkened. "Once inside the dream, the crystal will do anything to stop that person and destroy him before Naruto realizes what is real. If that happens… that person's soul will be trapped inside and his body will die."

There was a long silence in the room. Kakashi looked at Yamato and Sai; they already knew that he was going to volunteer and try to save Naruto. Sasuke, however, took _Kizuna_ from his belt and touched it slowly.

The raven had no problems imagining Naruto going to Muramasa and asking him to fix his old sword, hoping it would be ready by his birthday. It wasn't difficult to see his silly grin as he waited to make Sasuke a surprise. His own sword was a great gift, especially after the many talks they had about the boy's skill as a swordsman. He named the chokutō after his bond with his fath… with Naruto, because he knew it was more powerful than any jutsu.

Sasuke still remembered that nightmare, from all those years ago, when he had been stuck in a dark world, hurting everyone he cared about and pushing them away. Naruto had stayed. He had been the only one who had stayed with him, even though he was the one he mistreated the most. Later, when Sasuke was awake again and safe in his arms, Naruto had told him that their bond was the strongest.

_**"I told you we had a very strong one" Naruto said with a smile. "Nothing can break it."**_

"I'll go" Sasuke said.

"Huh?" Yamato gasped.

"Sasuke…?" Kakashi whispered, noticing the determination in the raven's black eyes.

"Why should you go?" Sai asked indignantly. "What makes you think you can save Naruto?"

Sasuke glared back at Sai, he was really starting to hate that guy. "I'm going and that's it. If you try to stop me, I'll gladly shove my sword up your ass."

Sai gaped and started to stand up. "You damn son of a bitch! How dare you… Huh? Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing?"

Kakashi grabbed Sai's arm and stared at him. "Easy, Sai. We shouldn't fight each other now" the white-haired man shifted his gaze to Sasuke, who glared at him in defiance. "You changed a lot Sasuke. I hardly recognize you" the raven kept glaring, not sure if that was an insult or a compliment. "Very well… Sasuke will go with Muramasa-sama."

Sasuke's eyes widened while both Sai and Yamato looked startled at their leader.

"What? Kakashi-senpai…!" Yamato gasped, completely baffled. "You're going to let Sasuke go?"

"He wants to save Naruto" Kakashi said quietly. "I think we should let him do it and trust him like Naruto did."

* * *

All of them came back to Naruto's house, even Riku and Shigeru, who was still limping and receiving worried looks from his son.

Muramasa said he needed something from Naruto, so he and Sasuke went to the blond's bedroom while the rest waited in the living room. If Sasuke succeeded, Naruto would be the first person to wake up and they would know if the crystal's curse was over.

"Sensei… I'm still not sure about this" Sai whispered. "I mean… We all know how much Naruto believed that he could bring Sasuke back and change his ways but, after everything he did, does Sasuke really deserve that? He'll never be forgiven or accepted."

Kakashi closed his eye. "Sai… Believe me, I understand how you feel. There's a part of me that is unwilling to accept Sasuke ever again, but you noticed it too. He changed… Despite of his feelings for us or the village, he appears to genuinely care about Naruto."

The black-haired ANBU sighed. "He could be faking it. It's hard for me to imagine Sasuke caring about Naruto as a friend."

"I think he's not faking" Kakashi said.

"How do you know?"

"Because I saw that they're living together in this house and I saw the way Sasuke reacted when we took Naruto. He was desperate. He wouldn't let anyone take Naruto way from him" Kakashi explained. "Sasuke was the one who worried the most when Muramasa told us about the crystals. At one point, he looked like he was about to cry, which is something I never saw him do. He loves Naruto, Sai. Even you could sense that."

Sai's black eyes widened a little and he looked at the stairs that led to Naruto's bedroom. His mind was racing with what he had read before from books about men who loved other men. It kind of made sense now that he thought about it… Sasuke never seemed interested in girls, even though he had thousands of fangirls waiting to please him.

"Sakura is going to be so mad" Sai whispered, whilst Kakashi looked at him with a confused expression.

* * *

Muramasa cut a lock from Naruto's blond hair and put it inside a small pouch. Sasuke remained by the doorframe, still troubled that Naruto's soul had been taken. It was scary to think that his body was just an empty shell… that Naruto was far away, living in a dream without him. Obviously, he hadn't noticed that something was wrong and Sasuke was in no place to blame him after the horrible things he had said.

How many times had Sasuke promised he would protect his Daddy and never hurt him again? How many times had he broken his promise? No… he couldn't blame Naruto for wishing to live in a dream away from him.

"We can go now, Sasuke" Muramasa said.

"Alright" the raven said, placing his sword next to the sleeping blond.

Muramasa was looking at him attentively and his eyes softened when he stared at the fixed sword. It was a different weapon from the one he had received weeks ago. Before, the chokutō had been impregnated with the scent of blood, along with feelings of hatred, violence and sorrow. Now, Muramasa could still feel the sorrow, but he felt love coming from the sword and a deep desire to protect.

"I'll give you a few seconds" the swordsmith said. "Say goodbye to your father and we'll meet downstairs."

"What?" Sasuke asked. "You heard what I said. Naruto is not…"

"I heard what you said, but I know what you really want" Muramasa said, shocking the raven man before turning around and walking towards the door. "Take your time."

Muramasa closed the door behind and Sasuke heard his steps going down the stairs. The raven turned towards the sleeping blond and walked slowly towards him. It suddenly hit him that he could fail and get killed inside that crystal. He could die and never come back here again.

Without thinking, Sasuke hugged Naruto tight and buried his head on his shoulder. It still smelled like Naruto and it still felt right to hug him despite what he had decided. Just this one last time, he was going to be his kid. Just this once… he wanted it so much and it felt so right…

"I'm going to save you, just like I promised. Remember when you asked me what I would do if you were taken to somewhere very far away? I still mean it, I'm going to save you and bring you home" Sasuke reached out and grabbed a lock of Naruto's hair, like he used to do when he was a little boy. "I love you, Papa."

Before he burst into tears, Sasuke left Naruto's bedroom and didn't look back.

* * *

**Oh, Sai… this is gonna be awkward.**

**Like I said, I'm going to update sooner. Sorry for the small chapter.**

**See ya soon!**


	59. The Forgotten Son

**Hi! Like I promised, I tried to update earlier. Though, I have to admit, this was a difficult chapter to write, so I'm a little apprehensive.**

**Anyway, I hope you like it. Enjoy!**

**Warning for violence.**

* * *

**The Forgotten Son**

忘れてしまった息子 _(Wasurete shimatta musuko)_

The trip to the cave was shorter than Sasuke had imagined.

Muramasa had found a secret entrance that led them straight to the inside of the Main Island's mountain, the same one his wife had used decades ago. Part of reason he didn't reveal his findings sooner was because he was busy find the right cave and path.

Aside from some short words, the two men travelled in silence, each one lost in their own thoughts. Sasuke was still wondering what Muramasa had meant when he had left the Naruto's bedroom. Why did people keep confusing him? First Riku, with his patronizing rant, and now Muramasa's simple words both managed to completely shaken Sasuke's decision.

Sasuke wanted to become someone worthy and bring happiness to Naruto. As his son, he completely messed it up and, from what Sai had said, he hadn't been a good friend either. He didn't know what he had done in the past but Naruto cherished his memories of his best friend very dearly, so it meant that he didn't hold a grudge.

The raven clenched his fists. He had been nothing more than a letdown but he was going to change and become a better person. He was going to become the friend Naruto deserved. He wanted Naruto to be happy! He couldn't make him happy by continuing to pretend that he was his son… he didn't deserve to be his son. Naruto should just forget about him and build a real family.

Sasuke felt a pang in his chest and stopped, placing his hand firmly over his shirt. He had to close his eyes, he wasn't going to cry. He couldn't. He had no right to feel jealous and upset by the thought of Naruto having a new family and children of his own. He would be happier that way and Sasuke could be the best friend he missed so much. Everybody wins.

Maybe Naruto would love him more that way too…

"Sasuke?" Muramasa asked, turning around to face the panting young man. "Are you alright?

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are we close?" Sasuke asked, a few steps behind the swordsmith.

"No. We're almost there."

A few minutes later, the tunnel ended and they entered the cave. Sasuke couldn't help and gasped. The crystal was enormous! It had occupied the whole cave and was obviously still growing towards the tunnel. It looked like roots coming from a giant and ugly flower that grew in the center of the cave, surrounded by a water moat.

"That is the main crystal" Muramasa explained. "When my wife found it, the crystal was tiny, about the size of a lotus flower and equally beautiful. It obviously started growing after Nobunaga started to drain the islanders' life force and chakra."

"It grew uglier too" Sasuke remarked, glaring at the violet crystal _"flower"._ "What do I have to do now?"

"Come here" Muramasa motioned for Sasuke to come closer, took the small pouch from his kimono and let Naruto's blond hair fall to the raven's pale hand. "Take the hair to the center of the crystal, that will open a gate for your soul to enter Naruto-san's dream. Once the gate is open, all you need to do is place your hand on the crystal."

Sasuke nodded and started walking towards the crystal flower.

"Wait Sasuke. There's something you need to know" Muramasa said, as the raven turned around. "If told you the crystal will do anything to stop you from making Naruto-san realize that world isn't real, and I mean anything."

"I'm not afraid" Sasuke said, but noticing Muramasa's green eyes staring at him, he added. "I… Alright, I am afraid, but that isn't going to stop me now. I'm not backing down."

"I know… What I meant to say is that once the crystal attacks, you'll feel everything. Every scratch, bruise and cut will feel just like in the real world, even if your body is safe here. I'm saying this because I want you to be careful" Muramasa walked towards Sasuke and placed a warm hand on his shoulder. "You may think your life is worthless, but that couldn't be further from the truth."

The raven's eyes widened. How could Muramasa know exactly what he was feeling?

"How do you…?"

The swordsmith smiled gently. "Good luck, Sasuke."

Sasuke nodded and started walking towards the crystal flower again, his sandals and pants wet as he passed the ditch filled with freezing water. Once he was close enough to the crystal that he could reach it, Sasuke open his hand and stared at Naruto's blond hair. For a few seconds he didn't do anything, all he could think about were his memories as a little kid, playing with Papa's pretty hair while he laughed. Shocking a sob, Sasuke placed the hair on the crystal's surface.

The hundreds of purple, glowing kanji exploded from the crystal, rotating inside the cave like a tornado. Sasuke felt the powerful wind pushing him backwards, but he managed to stay up and stare at the place where Naruto's hair had been. In its place, the raven saw a glowing circle.

Sasuke looked back at Muramasa, who nodded. Fighting the wind, the young man stretched his right arm and touched the circle. Then, everything faded into a blinding white light.

* * *

Slowly, Sasuke opened his eyes and tried to understand what had happened. His vision was blurry but he started to realize something strange about his surroundings. First, he couldn't smell the damp odor from the cave; second, everything was bright and warm now, like he was under the sun.

As his eyes adapted, Sasuke realized that he was standing in the middle of a street on a beautiful, sunny day. He then noticed the buildings, the shops and the people walking past him. One quick glance at the mountain in front of him, made his jaw drop. He saw the four heads of the past Hokage carved into the mountain, something he had only seen in photos. Strange… wasn't Tsunade's head supposed to be there as well?

"_It worked! I'm in the dream… Naruto's dream"_ Sasuke thought as he looked around in awe. _"Of course he would dream about living in Konoha again. He kept saying how much he missed it and his friends…"_

Shaking his head, Sasuke put his feelings of insecurity behind him. He didn't have time for that. He had to find Naruto and convince him that this wasn't real!

"Alright… I gotta find him first" the raven said. "Where would he be?"

"Why are you in such a hurry?" a too familiar voice asked behind the bewildered raven.

As Sasuke turned around, his onyx eyes widened. He was staring right back at a mirror image of himself. Another Sasuke was looking at him with a disdainful sneer on his lips.

He looked a bit younger than Sasuke, around sixteen years old, but his eyes reflected an adult's maturity, making him look older. Contrasting with Sasuke's dark, sleeveless shirt, the other raven wore a light-grey shirt with short sleeves. Aside from having the same face, they looked like opposites.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue, Sasuke?" the other Sasuke asked, scornful. "Or should I say… Fake-Sasuke?"

The raven blinked, his shock quickly turning into offense. "Who are you calling fake? You're nothing but an illusion made by that damn crystal! Now tell me where Naruto is!"

The other raven chuckled. "Illusion, huh? That's right. Maybe I am an illusion, but I can tell you I'm more like the real Sasuke than you'll ever be."

"What?"

"I'm made from Naruto's memories and feelings of the real Sasuke" _"Sasuke"_ continued, grinning at the original's bafflement. "In other words, I created the perfect _Sasuke_ that Naruto wanted for his dream, but I didn't change him. I just kept him as the _Sasuke_ Naruto missed for so long: his awesome best friend that he had always admired. I am better than you in every single way."

"Shut up!" Sasuke cried out, unable to hide how distressed the fake's words made him feel. "I am the real Sasuke! You can never impersonate me!"

"Stop lying to yourself. You know I'm telling you the truth. I created a better version of you… the version that Naruto prefers" the other raven said, obnoxiously calm. "You think you can go back into being the best friend Naruto remembers? After what you did to him? Did you forget what you said to him about wishing to be left in an orphanage and that he was a terrible parent? Did you forget all of that?"

Sasuke quivered but tried to stare at the fake in the eyes, even if what he had said was true. "I was… I was being controlled! I didn't mean those things! I never meant to hurt him!"

"But you _**did**_ hurt him. No, you didn't just hurt Naruto… you crushed him. You're the reason he's here, in a world where the best friend he treasured is present and his cruel adoptive son never existed."

The raven felt the temperature drop by several degrees, even though the sun was still shinning.

"What?" Sasuke asked, this time more than shock in his words. He felt fear. Pure, cold fear. "What are you talking about?"

"I did Naruto a favor and erased his memory of the monstrous person you became" the other Sasuke grinned again, his expression filled with conceit. "You're the reason he was miserable in the first place. You caused him pain in a way you can never understand."

Sasuke realized that the whole street was completely silent and that all the villagers were staring at him with a murderous glare. He felt like cowering under their rage and disgust. He wanted to hide from the other Sasuke's words.

"You're lying… That's not going to work with me!" Sasuke yelled, his heart throbbing. "You're nothing but a parasite! All you want is to suck the life out of him until he dies! So don't come talking to me about doing him a favor!"

"_**I am**_ doing him a favor" fake-Sasuke said. "Every human dies eventually, but I'm giving Naruto the best death anyone could ask. He's not going to die from painful injuries or a disease. Instead, he'll just fade away in a wonderful dream. You're the one who is being selfish and wants to take him because of your guilt. Like always, you can never let him be happy. Who is the real villain here, Sasuke?"

For a moment, Sasuke fell silent. Was it true? Was he being selfish?

"No! You're the one who's killing him and everybody in the islands!" the raven cried out, lowering his face. "You can't trick me into thinking that you're being generous when all you are is a bloodthirsty leech!"

The fake villagers burst out laughing, along with the fake Sasuke in complete synchronicity. Sasuke tried to remain calm, but their laughter was making him nervous.

"Bloodthirsty, you say? Now you're just being a hypocrite, Sasuke" the fake said. "I saw Naruto's memories, just like I saw yours when you entered my dream realm."

"I've had it with you and your lies!" Sasuke yelled, ready to flee. "I'm going to find Naruto!"

"Don't want to know the reason why you have so many nightmares? Don't want to know why Kakashi and the others attacked you like you were an enemy?" the fake asked, making Sasuke stop and face him again with wide and frightened eyes.

"Wha…?"

"You call me bloodthirsty when you were the one who left the village and abandoned your friends."

Sasuke took a step back, shaking his head in denial.

"No… That's not… I wouldn't!"

"You did more than that" the fake said, obviously taking pleasure from the raven's disbelief and distress. "You left because you wanted power and you thought yourself above everybody else, even your friends. Naruto tried to bring you back and you tried to kill him in return."

Sasuke felt his legs trembling. His eyes were burning with unshed tears. "That can't be true! I'm not like that! I would never…"

"What? Betray Naruto? Try to kill him?" the fake continued. "You did just that even without your memories, Sasuke. You didn't change a bit."

A single tear ran down Sasuke's cheeks, but he felt too distraught to care. He knew that what the crystal was saying was true. He had dreamed about attacking Naruto and almost killing him many, many times. He wanted to believe it had all been a dream, but his nightmares got more and more realistic. The one where he severed all his bonds and pierced Naruto through the chest, the one where he tried to attack him with lightning and many others… he couldn't make them stop. He should have realized it sooner when he kept seeing the red-eyed boy, laughing at the other people's suffering. The red eyes were the Sharingan; the laughing boy… had been him all along.

"You failed as his friend and you failed as his son" the fake Sasuke went on. "I'm the Sasuke that Naruto deserves as a friend. Not some cruel, egotistical _**monster**_ like you."

Sasuke wanted to fight back, but he felt he didn't have the right to. Everything the crystal said was true. How could an abomination like him wish that Naruto would love him more than anything? He had betrayed him even before the rebirth. He didn't deserve his forgiveness or his love as his best friend… or his father.

He didn't deserve anything.

"It's time for you to play the part" the crystal Sasuke said.

Sasuke felt a sharp sting on his neck and his knees gave away. As he gasped with the pain, the raven noticed that there were black dots running through his skin, getting closer and closer until they reached his face. Then, his skin turned dark gray.

"NO! WHAT ARE DOING TO ME? STOP!" Sasuke yelled, as his body continued to transform into the hideous monster he had seen in his nightmares. His nails grew into small claws, his hair grew and turned dark-blue, his eyes became yellow and his sclera black. With a howl, two webbed-claw-shaped wings grew from his back and a black star-shaped mark appeared over his nose.

"You're in my realm, Sasuke. I'm in control of everything here" the fake said. "Besides, I'm not done with you."

Before Sasuke could ask what he meant, he realized that another monster from his nightmares was becoming real as well. A purple light enveloped him and bones grew around him, followed by ghostlike muscles and skin. In a few seconds, a giant demon appeared over him, roaring like the beast Sasuke had become.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked.

His fake counterpart was staring at him with a sneer. "I'm going to make Naruto get rid of you."

Out of Sasuke's control, the purple Susanoo roared once more, took his sword and destroyed an entire block.

* * *

When Naruto came downstairs, he was surprised to find both his parents home, casually sitting in the couch.

"Tou-chan?" Naruto asked. "What are you doing home so early?"

Minato and Kushina looked at their son and smiled.

"Hello, Naruto" Minato said. "I finished work early, so I decided to come home. We haven't spent a lot of time together as a family lately."

"Come here, Naruto" Kushina said with a smile.

Naruto smiled back and sat in his parents midst, receiving a hug from both. It always surprised him how comforting and blissful he felt with his mom and dad, like he wasn't used to it. When he was with them, he felt like a little boy again and he loved the feeling. He wished they could be like that forever.

"What were you talking about?" Naruto asked, while his mother touched his hair gently.

"We were talking about you, actually" Kushina said. "About the time when you were a baby."

"Baby?" Naruto asked, blushing. "Why are talking about that?"

"Well… you were such a cute baby" Kushina continued with a giggle. "I could just look at you for hours. My little, drooling bundle of joy."

"Kaa-chan!"

Minato burst out laughing as well, while patting his son on the head. "Don't be embarrassed, Naruto. When you were little, I didn't want to let go of you either. Well… except when you messed your diapers. I was always the one who had to change them. Your mother was always "busy" at the time."

"Don't exaggerate, Minato!" Kushina said with a frown. "Every time he puked, you teleported to your office. I was the one who had to clean everything and the stench was just…"

"Will you two stop talking about that" Naruto cried out, red as a chili pepper. "I don't want to hear you talk about how I pooped and puked as a baby. That's gross and embarrassing!"

Kushina gave a husky laugh and put her arm around her son's shoulder. "Sorry, Naruto. We didn't mean to embarrass you."

"Yeah… sure."

"I'm serious. We were just nostalgic, but I got to admit I'm there were times I wished you could just grow up."

Naruto blinked at stared at his mother's face. "Why do you say that?"

"You know… having a baby isn't all cuteness and laughter" Kushina said. "When you have a baby, your life changes forever. You can't be kid anymore and the freedom you were used to it's practically gone. You're responsible for that child and you can't just leave the kid once you're bored or annoyed. Dirty diapers and puking aside, a child is a lot of work and it lasts a lifetime."

Naruto moved his legs, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the conversation. "Why are you telling me all that? Do you regret having me?"

"Of course not, son" Minato intervened. "Your mother and I could never regret being your parents. We wanted you, but the reason we were able to raise you was because we were ready for the responsibility of a child. We're telling you this because we just want you to understand how difficult raising a family is, especially when you're not ready for it."

Naruto looked at his parent's serious expressions and grinned. "Oh! So that's what's worrying you? Relax! I'm always careful… I don't even have a girlfriend, so you definitely don't need to worry about me having kids."

His words seemed to have pleased his parents, because their faces relaxed and they smiled at him.

"I'm glad you understand, Naruto" Kushina said, hugging her son again. "Besides… you're still my little boy, right? I'm wouldn't want you to make me a grandma yet."

"Yeah! I'm way too young for that. I'm not ready to look after a kid all day, change diapers and stuff. I would suck at that" Naruto said with a wide grin on his lips, as his parents smiled back in agreement. The next words came out of his lips mindlessly. "I'm glad I don't have a son. I don't want to be a Dad."

The moment he said that, Naruto's eyes widened and his smile vanished from his face. Suddenly, the guilt and horror of what he had just said shocked him to his very soul. He felt he had said something unforgivable.

"_How could I say that? It's so cruel"_ a voice inside him said.

However, no matter how much he tried, Naruto couldn't understand why he felt so guilty. Of course he wasn't ready to be a Dad. The thought of having a kid scared him because he knew he wasn't ready, that he would mess it up… Then why was his heart aching so much? Why did he feel that something very important was missing?

"_And… why did I think of a son?"_ Naruto asked himself. _"When I thought about my possible kid, I saw a boy? How come I'm sure it's gonna be a boy?"_

Instantly, Naruto remembered the crying boy that he had seen in his dreams. It was impossible, but he felt that he was more real than everything else in his life. No matter how happy he felt, he always sensed that something amiss and it was frustrating because he didn't know what it was.

Seeing that Naruto was in deep thought, Kushina and Minato frowned. Naruto shouldn't think too much or try to remember too much. Then, their faces morphed into a confused and worried expression as they placed their hands on their "son's" back.

"Naruto? Are you okay?" Kushina asked.

The blond teenager looked at his mother, his eyes filled with confusion. "Kaa-chan… why do I feel…?"

Naruto's question was interrupted by a huge blast, followed by screams of fear. Minato ran the window.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, just as one more blast was heard.

"We're under attack" Minato said with fury in his blue eyes. "Let's go, son!"

Naruto lost sight of his father when he used his Hirashin to teleport. Cursing himself for his average speed, Naruto jumped from roof to roof until he reached the destroyed area.

Many housed had been crushed while others were burning. People ran in all directions, screaming with fear and pain as civilians and ninja alike passed by the blond with horrible injuries or transporting their injured loved ones. All over the street, there were corpses.

"This is horrible! Who could have done this?" Naruto said, shocked and angered by all that pain and destruction.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled, jumping right next to him. "Where's the Hokage?"

"Tou-chan went up head. What's going on, Sakura-chan?" the blond asked.

"Some kind of monster his attacking the village" the pink haired girl said with a worried expression on her face. "I'm trying to help the wounded, but they're so many. That thing just keeps killing…"

"I'm going to stop it" Naruto said, glaring at Sakura's blood-soaked hands. "I won't let it kill anyone else."

"I'm counting on you Naruto" she said, glancing at the monster that roared in the distance. "Be careful! Sasuke-kun is there too."

"Sasuke?" Naruto's eyes flashed with worry. "I'm going to help him. We'll stop that thing in no time!"

Naruto ran up the destroyed street, unaware of Sakura's ominous grin.

* * *

"Stop coming towards me!" Sasuke yelled to the dozens of ninja that attacked him nonstop. "Please stop! I don't want to hurt anybody!"

Obviously, no one listened and they continued attacking while Susanoo cut them into pieces, pierced them with his arrows or crushed them into a bloody pulp before Sasuke horrified eyes.

The shinobi were all the crystal incarnated and it wanted to create a massacre scene, making Sasuke look like a vicious monster.

"Go away!" Sasuke yelled, using his new wings to run away from them. However, several grinning ninjas jumped in front of him and the purple monster immediately cut them into pieces.

Sasuke's child heart wasn't used to this much carnage and he started to gasp for air, trying not to vomit. He wasn't ready for a battle like this… he just wanted them to stop.

In a blink of an eye, he saw his crystal counterpart jumping in front of him, with the same grin as the others. "It's time, Sasuke."

Sasuke tried to fly away from him, but a huge blue light caught his attention before a giant sphere of chakra crashed against Susanoo, crushing it into bits. When he was finally able to see his unexpected attacker, his yellow eyes widened and his heart seemed to stop in his chest.

Naruto looked exactly like he had seen him in his baby photo and the videos at home. He was young, his hair was short and he was wearing the exact same orange tracksuit. However, what stunned Sasuke wasn't his appearance, but the fact that he was awake, breathing and moving again. He just felt so happy, that he instantly flew in his direction with his arms wide-open. He had waited for so long to see him again…

"You bastard!" Naruto yelled and, to Sasuke's dismay, he punched him right in the face.

Sasuke was thrown several meters away, before finally being able to stop. He stood there, flying, with his hand pressed against his throbbing cheek, his eyes bright and hurt as he stared at the person he loved the most glaring back at him.

There was anger and hatred in Naruto's eyes. He had never looked at Sasuke like that before, not even when they got into a nasty fight. That glare hurt Sasuke more than any punch.

In a daze, Sasuke saw the other raven pass by him and cut his two wings with his sword. The pain was unbelievable and Sasuke screamed as he fell from the sky, crashing into a house. His body hurt all over and he felt blood on his mouth. As he opened his eyes, Sasuke noticed that his body was filled with scratches and bruises. He tried to stand up but his left leg couldn't support him and he kneeled on the dirty ground, whimpering like a wounded animal.

Naruto jumped a few meters from him, ready to fight.

"I don't know who you are, but won't forgive you for attacking Konoha!" Naruto cried out. "I won't let you kill any…!"

"You're wrong, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, standing up despite his wounds and the horrible pain he felt on his leg and back. "I don't want to hurt anybody!"

The blond blinked at stared at Sasuke with a confused and distrustful expression in his face. "What the hell? Why do you have Sasuke's voice? And how do you know my name?"

Fake Sasuke appeared right beside him, his chokutō ready to attack.

"It's obviously a jutsu to confuse you" the fake said. "Don't fall for that trick, usuratonkashi!"

Hearing that fake version of himself treat Naruto with the playful nickname he used, gave Sasuke's strength to stand up and face them. He wasn't going to let this cursed parasite steal Naruto from him and impersonate him anymore.

No matter what Sasuke had done in his past life or in his present, there was no way he was going to let Naruto die here. He had to make him realize the truth. He had to save him!

"You're the one who's being tricked!" Sasuke yelled on top of his lungs. "None of this is real! This whole place was made up to drain your chakra until you die! These people aren't your friends, it's an illusion. It took your real memories and replaced them with lies!"

Naruto blinked and looked confused for a few seconds, but he quickly dismissed Sasuke's words.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! You can't trick me!" the blond yelled back. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did to my village."

Naruto ran towards Sasuke and tried to kick him, but the young man managed to move away. Annoyed, Naruto continued trying to attack the "monster", but he was able to block him. It was frustrating, but Naruto realized that his opponent was just defending himself, he never attacked. Why would he stop attacking when he had come to Konoha and randomly killed so many villagers? It didn't make sense…

"Why aren't you fighting?" the blond finally cried out, staring at the ugly monster.

"Please… you have to wake up. You'll die if you don't" Sasuke whimpered, dripping blood all over the ground, shaking with pain.

"Stop with those lies! I'm not falling for that!" Naruto yelled, finally managing to kick his opponent, who flew across the destroyed street before crashing against a rock.

Naruto heard Sasuke, his father and several other ninja cheering him on and telling him to finish the monster once and for all.

"Do it, Naruto!" Minato said, a few meters away. "You have to stop him from endangering the village."

However, despite the cheers from his comrades and the destruction that creature had caused, Naruto felt something was terribly wrong. The monster was trying to stand, but his wounds were so painful that he fell on the floor. He didn't look threatening at all. When he lifted his face, he looked once more at Naruto, his eyes filled with so much sadness that made the blond's heart ache.

Slowly, the monster was able to stand. With his haunted yellow eyes fixed on his face, he started limping in Naruto's direction with his arm outstretched, each step followed with agony.

"Stop… don't come any closer" Naruto found himself saying.

An image appeared on his mind, clear as a recent memory. Naruto remembered walking away from an unknown house, tears running down his face with each step. Suddenly, he heard something and turned around. There was someone following him… his arm outstretched in a silent plea.

The vision had been so strong and vivid that Naruto felt his eyes burning. What the hell was that? He didn't remember ever doing that and… why couldn't he see the person who had been following him?

Feeling his hands shaking, Naruto faced the unknown monster again, who continued walking despite his evident pain.

"Why? Why are you doing this?" the blond asked.

Sasuke was in so much pain that it was getting hard to think straight, but his body kept moving. All he could think was that he had to save Naruto… bring him home…

"I'm sorry… but I have to take you home. I won't let you die…" Sasuke whispered, his vocal chords damaged when he crashed against the rock. "It's okay if you… hate me, but… I have to save you, like I promised. I promised…"

"You… promised?"

Too tired, Sasuke's knees gave away and he kneeled on the ground, coughing blood while tears ran down his face.

Naruto was a few meters from him, completely taken aback. Even though his father and Sasuke urged him to kill the monster, Naruto felt his arms drop. His head was telling him not to let his guard down, but his heart was unable to do it. He knew him… he was sure of that. But then why couldn't he remember him?

When his vision became blurred, Naruto blinked several times until he felt something warm falling down his cheek. As he touched his face, he realized it was wet. Tears... he was crying. He was crying because the sight of that creature made his heart ache more than ever.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked. "Who are you to me?"

Sasuke didn't know what else to do anymore. He didn't have the strength to fight any longer and he felt so tired that he couldn't think of a way to convince Naruto of the truth anymore. He was completely useless…

Knowing that he didn't have much time left before he passed out, Sasuke used all the remaining strength he had in his broken body and jumped towards Naruto, catching the blond boy completely off guard. He wasn't really thinking at all, his body just moved.

Sasuke reached out and put his arms around Naruto's neck, pulling him into a hug and burying his head in his neck. The feeling was so familiar that made him cry even harder. He didn't want to let go ever again, even if he didn't deserve it. All Sasuke knew was that he was hurting and he wanted Naruto, his best friend, his…

His Daddy.

Naruto remained still, stunned that this monster was hugging him, hearing him sob against his neck. He should feel revolted, he should be trying to break free from his hold, but he wasn't. Somehow, his body refused to push this… person way. Then, he felt his hands pulling his hair.

Naruto's blue eyes widened in shock as a series of images ran through his mind. He saw a baby… a little baby in his arms, with his head against his shoulder, playing with his hair. He remembered holding the baby boy, how his small, warm body seemed to fit perfectly in his arms. He remembered being with the baby, looking after him, cradling against his chest while he cried, playing with Gama-chan with him, teaching how to talk, to walk, seeing him grow…

"I… I have…" Naruto whispered.

"Get out!"

Before Naruto could move, the crystal Sasuke grabbed his original by his shirt and violently tossed him to the ground, breaking several bones. Too weak to move, Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw his fake counterpart run towards him, with his sword aiming for his head.

Knowing he was done for, Sasuke closed his eyes and waited for the pain. However the pain never came. Instead he heard a blast and the sound of someone being hit. When he opened his eyes, Sasuke realized that his counterpart had fallen to ground, several meters away from him. In front of Sasuke, shielding him, it was Naruto.

"Naruto! What the fuck are you doing?" the fake Sasuke yelled, standing up.

"Why did you protect him?" Minato asked, glaring at the younger blond. "What are you thinking?"

To everyone's dismay, Naruto glared back at Minato, his fists shaking with anger.

"Why can't I remember him?" Naruto asked. "Who made me forget all about him?"

"What? Who…?"

"My son. I have a son!" Naruto said, while Sasuke stared at his back in a daze. "Why did you hid this from me? Why can't I remember his name or how he looks like? Why did I forget about my son?"

* * *

**Dramatic, I know. And I ended up with another cliffhanger… don't curse me.**

**I know maybe I over did the battle scenes and Sasuke's mental breakdown might be repetitive, but I had to do this for this chapter. Just wait a little longer. Fortunately, this arc is ending soon.**

**See ya!**


	60. Easier to Run

**Hi there! Here it is: the final chapter of the Crystal arc. I hope you have enjoyed it and I hope I haven't "jumped the shark" with this fic. **

**Enjoy!**

**Warning for spoilers about the manga plot.**

* * *

**Easier to Run**

簡単に脱出 _(Kantan ni dasshutsu)_

He had a son. Uzumaki Naruto had a child of his own.

He could remember several things now, hazy memories about the boy. He remembered the scent of baby powder and formula; he knew how to change a baby's diaper and to sprinkle a few drops of milk on his arm to check its temperature. Naruto remembered feeling awkward on children's stores, surrounded by curious women. He remembered the feeling of dread about leaving his little boy on school for the first time; awaking up at the sounds of his sobs because he had wet the bed and hugging him close to his body when he was scared to sleep alone and crawled to his bed…

He remembered all of that, but he still couldn't recall his name, his voice or even his face. Somehow, his memory of him was gone.

Naruto clenched his fists harder; glaring at Minato's startled expression. "Tell me now! What happened to my memory? Why can't I remember him?"

"Naruto… You're confused" the Yondaime said. "You can't fall into that creature's tricks. You don't have a son, that's…"

"STOP LYING!" the blond roared, fuming with unprecedented rage and effectively shutting everybody up. "STOP WITH YOUR LIES! I'M NOT CONFUSED! I KNOW WHAT I FEEL AND IT'S REAL! WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO TRICK ME? TELL ME THE TRUTH!"

Behind Naruto, the injured creature lifted his head and stared at the blond intensely.

"Fine, Naruto" crystal Sasuke said. "If it's the truth you want, so be it… All we were trying to do was give you what you wanted."

The blond blinked. "What I _**wanted**_? What do you mean by that, Sasuke? Just tell me the truth already!"

Minato walked towards his son, his blue eyes filled with pity. "Yes, Naruto. You have a son."

Naruto's eyes shinned, his heart beating faster in his chest. Even though he already felt that he had a kid, it was totally different from hearing it out loud. He was overwhelmed.

"I… have a kid" Naruto whispered. "I really have a kid."

Both his tone and his expression only showed bewilderment, which was exactly what he was feeling. The information was so recent and so shocking that the blond didn't even know if he felt happy or scared about it. Maybe both…

"Naruto… we just wanted to protect you" Minato said softly.

"Protect me from what?" Naruto cried out. "How could you do this to me? Make me forget about my son and then lie about it?"

"Because you were suffering" Minato explained.

Sasuke whimpered silently, while Naruto gaped. "Suffering? Why? What happened?"

Minato sighed, looking very saddened. "You adopted a baby when you were very young. No one questioned your love for the boy or that you didn't try hard. However, you were still so young, Naruto. You weren't ready for the responsibility of a child."

Naruto's blue eyes widened. Behind him, he could barely hear the creature trying to talk.

"What happened?" the blond teen asked, though afraid of the answer.

Minato looked down. "You did your best, but… it wasn't enough. Because of your inexperience and immaturity, you made a lot mistakes. The boy… he… he grew up hating you."

Sasuke could see Naruto's body tense, becoming completely still as he understood what Minato had just said. He tried to reach him, grab his attention, but he couldn't move his arms.

"He hates me?" Naruto said slowly.

"It wasn't your fault" a feminine voice said. Shortly after, Kushina walked towards her son.

Naruto's blue eyes were wide and bright as he stared to his mother. "Kaa-chan…"

Kushina smiled sadly, placing a warm hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Naruto… you tried to be a wonderful parent, but that child never appreciated your efforts" Kushina said. "He was selfish, cruel and, no matter how much you loved him, he kept breaking your heart" she touched Naruto's cheek gently, her words filled with motherly love. "You were suffering so much… All we wanted was for you to be happy again."

Kushina gently pushed Naruto away from Sasuke. No matter how much he wanted, he couldn't stand and faint whimpers were the only sounds that came out of his mouth. Besides, even if he was able to speak… what could he say? Naruto had everything he ever wanted here. He didn't need him…

Naruto lifted his head and met his father's kind face. Seconds later, Sasuke was also beside him along with several people that he loved: Kakashi-sensei, Jiraiya, Sakura-chan, all his comrades from Konoha… everyone he cared about was there.

"You should feel grateful for what you have, Naruto" Sasuke said. "All your friends and family are here. It's everything you've always wanted" the raven stretched his hand, with a small smile. "I should know… you're my best friend."

Naruto stared at Sasuke's hand, expecting him to hold it like the best friends they were. He had memories of Sasuke, his parents and his friends, wonderful memories. He remembered having a perfect life.

Slowly, Naruto smiled and shook Sasuke's hand way.

"Huh?"

"You're right… I should feel grateful for my life and live completely content, but… the thing is… I can't" Naruto said, to everyone's dismay.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked angrily.

"I finally understand why I always felt that something was wrong no matter how happy I was" Naruto looked down, smiling sadly and placing a hand over his chest. "I felt that something wasn't right. Even though the people I loved were all here, I still felt that someone was missing and that hurt. It felt like hole in my heart… a horrible void. I could never felt truly happy, knowing that person was gone and I didn't even know who it was, but I do now."

Trembling with pain, the real Sasuke looked up with his eyes wide.

"It's true that I don't know anything about being a Dad and… I'm sure I'll continue to make a lot of stupid mistakes, but that doesn't mean that I want to give up my kid!" the blond cried out, his words coming straight from his confused and angry heart. "Even if I have bad memories, even if he hates me, he's still my son! You have no right to take my memories of him away! I want them back and I want my son back!"

Sasuke felt his lower lip trembling as a single tear ran down his bruised cheek.

Crystal Sasuke violently grabbed Naruto by his collar. "You want that selfish imitation of a brat over us? We gave you everything you ever wanted!"

"Naruto… you have to understand. We were only trying to protect you and make you happy" Minato said. "If you got your real memories back, there would be nothing but pain. You are better off without them."

Naruto closed his eyes and pushed Sasuke away from him. Then, he glared at Minato and Kushina. "You're not my parents…"

"Huh? What are you saying?" Kushina yelled. "Of course we are."

Naruto clenched his fists. For the first in a really long time, he felt the confusion in his life starting to vanish.

"My mom and Dad would **never** make me forget about my son, no matter how hard things got" the blond boy yelled with all his might, each word filled with rage. "I don't care what he did or what he said. You had no right to take him away from me! I want to see him! I want him back!"

Unable to keep the illusion, the houses began to collapse all around them and cracks appeared on the peoples' faces.

Already in a battle stance, Naruto moved away from the quickening deteriorating place and glared at the fake people who looked at him with murder in their eyes. That person had been right all along… none of this was real, just like his memories.

"_But then… who is he?"_ Naruto thought, quickly glancing at the injured, monster-like person behind him. Only then, did he notice the tears running down his face and his tormented, brokenhearted eyes.

Unlike the rest of the fake Konoha, this person wasn't changing. He kept staring at Naruto, trembling with pain. He wasn't part of the illusion. He was real.

"How dare you?" crystal Kushina said, her skin and hair turning into a crystal version of her.

"I created the perfect world for you to live in" Minato added, his face changing.

"I took away all the miserable memories that made you suffer and you reject it over that_** thing?**_ That pathetic brat?" fake Sasuke yelled, his body completely turned into a crystal.

Naruto blinked in confusion, until he realized that the crystal Sasuke was glaring at the creature behind him. The one who had tried to convince him that he was being tricked and gotten terribly beaten for it.

The moment Naruto stared at the monster; he immediately lowered his eyes and face, hiding in shame like he couldn't face Naruto.

Suddenly, Naruto's eyes widened in dismay and he started walking towards the crying creature, putting together everything that had happened. How he seemed so desperate to make Naruto believe him, the way he never attacked him, how he had tried to reach him despite being terribly injured, claiming that he wanted to bring him home even if Naruto hated him…

By the time Naruto reached the crying creature, the ground was disintegrating into crystal and floating towards the sky, along with houses, trees and even people. The crystal fakes continued yelling at Naruto, but he ignored them. Instead, he knelt in front of the monster looking man and gently touched his face, making him look up with his tearful yellow eyes.

The blond didn't notice his lip trembling, or the tears on his own blue eyes as his arms wrapped around this person and he felt his familiar warmth. It didn't matter how he looked like, or what had happened… He had found the person whose face he had searched continuously in the crowd, the one who made his family complete.

His child. His precious child.

"You're my son" Naruto said, carefully hugging the young man. "You're really him. You're real…"

Sasuke couldn't believe it. Naruto had remembered him… not as the best friend Sasuke thought he wanted back or his amazing rival.

Naruto had broken free from the curse because he wanted his son.

Sasuke's hands moved almost on their own, hugging Naruto back, realizing with a bit of resentment that both Riku and Muramasa had been right about him. Their bond of friendship had changed.

His decision had been doomed to fail from the beginning. No matter how much Sasuke tried to be just Naruto's teammate, he would never stop thinking of him as his father.

Just as the crystal began to lose its power and control over Naruto's mind, its power over Sasuke's appearance also started to fade away. His hair was shortening, his skin was becoming pale again and his claws were receding.

Meanwhile, the crystal versions of Minato, Kushina and the other villagers lost their human shape as they merged together into a reptilian creature. Its power was receding at an alarming rate, but its instinct of survival still remained intact and it demanded not to let its prey escape.

Sasuke opened his now black eyes and saw, through Naruto's blond hair, the giant crystal snake meandering rapidly towards them, its mouth opened and ready to swallow them whole.

"TOU-CHAN!"

Instantaneously, Naruto looked behind and jumped right before the snake's teeth crashed against the ground were they had been.

Holding his son tight, the blond teen glared at the monster and noticed that its body was already disintegrating into small crystals while its hollow eyes were fixed on them. That thing was getting weaker, but it wasn't going to give up until it killed them both.

Naruto pulled his son closer to chest, shielding him from the snake's eyes. "I won't let you hurt him!"

The crystal roared like the hungry monster it was and snaked in their direction. Knowing that he didn't have much time left, Naruto made the hand seal and created two clones. Half a second later, a big Rasengan was growing in his hand while his clones continued to contain it and add his wind element.

The snake was a mere meters away, the ground shaking as it moved in their direction with both hunger and murder in its eyes.

Naruto glanced at his son, barely noticing his hair becoming short and black. All he wanted was to get him into safety; he wasn't going to let that monster hurt him ever again.

The snake opened its jaws and jumped towards them. Naruto felt his Rasenshuriken in his hand and his clones vanished with a puff of white smoke. With one hand, he grabbed his son as the snake fell over them; with the other, he threw the Rasenshuriken against its open mouth.

After a huge blast of blue, white and violet, the snake burst into tiny pieces of crystal with a deafening shriek. Naruto felt the ground disintegrate under his feet and fell into an abyss of white light. He grabbed his son as tight as he could, but the power of the explosion was too much and he felt him slipping away from his grasp.

With a desperate scream, Naruto let go of his son's body and they fell into the blinding light.

* * *

Kakashi was looking at the window in Naruto's bedroom, watching the clouds growing bigger and bigger. It was going to rain soon, a heavy summer's rain.

It had been three hours since Sasuke and Muramasa had left and there were no signs that they had succeed in destroying the crystal. Right after they left, Kakashi, Yamato, Sai, Shigeru and Riku had gone to Naruto's bedroom and waited from any sign of change. However, the blond remained comatose and, in the silence of the hot and humid night, Kakashi knew they were all thinking that the worst had happened and they had lost Sasuke as well.

Nevertheless, the white-haired Jōnin urged to wait a little longer and that they didn't know where the crystal's core was located, so they couldn't do anything until Muramasa returned.

Moving away from the window, Kakashi passed by Yamato and walked towards Naruto's bed. It still struck him how much his blond student had grown in the past seven years. Long gone were his childlike round face and his short body, Naruto had become a very handsome young man just like his father before him.

Kakashi had seen his sensei reflection in his student before, but now it was more clear than ever. Aside from the whisker marks, Naruto looked like Minato's carbon copy. The only thing that seemed wrong was how still and pale he was, just like a corpse. Just like the last time Kakashi had seen his sensei… dead in a coffin.

Probably because he was so lost in his own thoughts and dwelling in old and painful memories, Kakashi didn't notice the subtle increase in Naruto's chakra or how his heart began to beat faster. That was why, when the blond suddenly opened his blue eyes, his sensei gasped and almost tripped over Sai's sleepy body.

"What the…? _**Naruto!**_" Yamato cried out, while they all surrounded Naruto's bed and watched him cough and struggle for breath. After a few minutes, the blond started to breathe normally, his chest rising and falling while his confused blue eyes switched from one face to another.

"Naruto? Are you alright?" Kakashi asked slowly, remembering that Muramasa's wife had needed a few minutes to recall her real life after one night in the Dream Realm. Most likely, Naruto would need more time after being trapped there for two weeks.

Naruto remained quiet, his eyes still confused. When he tried to sit, his bones cracked and he winced in pain. It felt like all his muscles were throbbing.

"Easy… Take it easy, Naruto" Kakashi said quietly. "Is there anything you need?"

"Wa-Water…" the young man asked with a hoarse voice from days without talking.

Riku left the bedroom and returned instants later with a jar full of water and a cup. Yamato helped the sore blond sit on his bed and drink the water. His mouth and throat seemed as dry as a desert so he drank three full glasses.

Just as his thirst quenched, the pain in Naruto's sore muscles began to disappear while he moved his arms and legs.

"Naruto?" Kakashi asked, kneeling before his student. "Do you know who I am?"

Naruto looked at Kakashi's face, or rather his mask, his uncovered black eye, his spiky white-hair.

"_**The only thing weird is your hair cut!"**_

"Sensei?" Naruto asked, his memories of his Jōnin guide slowly coming back to him.

Kakashi smiled under his mask and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I'm glad you remember me."

"Why… are my memories so… foggy?" the blond asked, touching his forehead. "I can't remember things right."

"Don't worry, your memory will come back in time" his sensei said.

"What about me, Naruto?" Sai asked. "Do you remember me?"

This time, Naruto had a bit of trouble placing the young black-haired man. He knew that he was an ANBU from Root and the new member of Team 7. But it was harder to concentrate with his irritating smiling; it made him feel angry somehow.

"_**You're pretty weak. Do you even have a penis?"**_

"Sai!" Naruto cried out, blushing as the memory of their first encounter played in his head. "Goddamit! Stop smiling like that!"

"Good! You remember!"

That was when Naruto mind had trouble telling what was real or not, because he didn't understand how Sai could be his teammate when Sasuke had been there all the time…

No… No, he hadn't. Sasuke had fought with him after waking up from his coma induced by Itachi's Tsukuyomi. After that, the blond realized both shocked and sad, Sasuke had left the village and Naruto had been powerless to bring him back.

Holding his head in his hands, Naruto tried to remember what had happened. Eventually he realized why he had so much trouble. He remembered the battle, the crystal and the lies he had been told. His heart began to beat faster as he recalled that he had let go of his son during the blast.

* * *

The moment Sasuke's soul entered his body; he first noticed was the bright light coming from the crystal in front of him. Then, he saw the crystal flower shatter and blow up sending him flying across the cave until he landed on the water. He stood there the next minutes watching the cursed thing breaking and vanishing like sand until the cave turned back into normal.

Panting and with his heart beating against his ribs, Sasuke stood up and looked at his body. He was still a young adult, but his wounds were gone along with his ugly appearance. Was it over? Was the crystal gone now?

"You did it."

The raven turned around and saw Muramasa looking at him with his usual gentle smile on his lips.

"Did I make it?" the young man asked warily. "Is it over?"

The blond swordsmith nodded. "It's over."

Sasuke had barely time to smile when he saw Muramasa fall to ground. The raven ran towards the blond man and kneeled on the ground beside him, staring at his ghostly pale face.

"Muramasa-sama? What's wrong?"

Despite looking weaker by the second, the swordsmith was able to keep smiling. "It's alright, Sasuke… Everything is going to be alright now."

Sasuke looked at the crystal on Muramasa's pendant, it was cracking. Then it hit him: Muramasa's wife had saved his life with the crystal's power; he had been able to live for more than one hundred years because of it. Now that the crystal was gone, that meant his life was coming to an end as well.

"Don't look so sad" Muramasa said calmly. "I knew this was going to happen the moment I showed you Mariko's book. I've lived long enough" he looked up and breathed slowly. "I'm not afraid, Sasuke. I'm going to where my wife is."

The raven blinked when he felt his eyes burning and grabbed Muramasa's hand. He couldn't do anything else but be with him as he died.

"Thank you… for helping us" Sasuke muttered. "My sword too. Thanks for fixing my sword."

Muramasa nodded and grabbed Sasuke's fingers tighter, his voice barely a whisper. "What did you name it?"

"_Kizuna_" the raven answered his eyes bright with unshed tears.

The blond swordsmith smiled even more. "It's a good name. Your father will be so proud of you."

Sasuke couldn't say anything else and watched Muramasa's body fade away the moment his crystal shattered into nonexistence.

* * *

In the next twenty minutes, Naruto had recovered a lot of his real memories, even the painful ones.

He knew now that his parents had died while trying to protect him from the Kyuubi (_Kurama!_ His name was Kurama.) He also remembered his lonely childhood, the angry stares from the grownups, how nobody wanted to be his friend.

He remembered how he was teamed with Sasuke and Sakura on Team 7, the bell test, the following missions after that, including their fight against Zabuza and Haku. He remembered the Chuunin Exams, meeting Jiraiya, the invasion, his fight with Gaara, the Third Hokage's death, Itachi's reappearance, meeting Tsunade, Sasuke leaving the village, his three years of training with Ero-Sennin, Gaara's kidnapping by the Akatsuki, meeting Sai and Yamato, finding Sasuke again, the training to create his Rasenshuriken, Asuma's death, defeating Kakuzu, their failed attempt to capture Itachi and find Sasuke, Jiraiya's death, Pain's invasion, talking to Nagato and Konan, saving Sakura from Sasuke, meeting Killer Bee and the Eight-Tails, going to war, fighting Tobi…

"Well?" Yamato asked. "Do you remember anything else?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, not yet… it's coming back, but it's slow" he looked at his sensei and at the two men who were watching him, they looked familiar but he couldn't remember their names. However, there was another person whose absence made him nervous.

"Where's my son?" Naruto asked, looking from one face to another.

"Huh? You remember him?" Sai asked.

The blond shook his head, obviously saddened.

"No… but I know about him" he wanted to see him so much. He wanted to know that he was alright. He needed to know his face so he could remember him again.

Kakashi, Yamato and Sai looked carefully at each other. Neither of them wanted to tell Naruto that his son was gone.

"Why are you all looking like that?" the blond asked, his voice filled with worry. "Answer me! Where's he?"

"Naruto…" Kakashi said.

"He left a while ago, but he'll be here at any moment now" Riku ended up saying, sick and tired of Sasuke's stupid decisions.

The older ninja from Konoha stared at the Sanada heir in dismay. Wasn't Naruto's kid dead? Wasn't that what Sasuke had said to them?

Naruto looked deep into Riku's light-blue eyes, trying to place him in his life. "And you are…?"

"Riku" he answered. "I know your son."

"You do?" Naruto asked.

Riku nodded and opened his mouth to say something when they all heard the sound of the front door being opened. Instinctively, they all tensed and got ready for a possible battle, but they relaxed as soon as a familiar raven came into view.

Sasuke had returned. He seemed tired, but unharmed. His onyx eyes were fixed on Naruto's face, wide, bright and surprised, his expression softening with relief and his mouth twitching into a hesitant smile.

Naruto's eyes widened as another memory rushed into his mind. He had fought Sasuke in the war, he had tried so hard, hoping he would let go of his hatred. Naruto had won but Sasuke had rejected his friendship once again and left.

Naruto remembered it so clearly now. His feelings of hopelessness, sorrow and disappointment as Sasuke ran away from him with anger burning in his eyes, loathing Naruto more than ever despite all his efforts to make him see that he cared so much about him. But now he was here, right in front of him, with no trace of that frightening hatred in his eyes.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, his mouth curving into a happy smile.

Suddenly, Sasuke's eyes became brighter and fearful, his lower lip trembling before he lowered his head and ran out of the bedroom and out of the house.

"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed, his heart tight and aching in his chest.

Before anyone could do something, the blond jumped from his bed and ran after the troubled raven, forgetting all about his sore muscles and bones.

"Wait! Naruto!" Yamato cried out, ready to go after the boys when Kakashi blocked the door with his body. "Senpai? Shouldn't we go after them?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No. Let them solve their own problems. We'll wait here until they come back."

"What if they don't come back?" Sai asked. "They could run away again. Sasuke would."

"He won't" Riku said. "He won't run away. They just need… time to… talk…"

The silver-haired young man pale drastically and fell on his knees, grabbing his shirt over his chest. Shigeru moved as fast as he could and went to his son's side, trying to understand what was happening.

"Riku! What's wrong?" Shigeru asked, pulling his panting son against his body.

"Tou-san… it hurts…"

* * *

Sasuke was running that was all he knew. It felt as if his head had been disconnected from his body and his legs were running on their own.

He had felt so happy to see Daddy awake again, that it took him a few seconds to realized that it was real. However, the moment Naruto had looked at him and said his name, everything that he had said and done before his coma had come back rushing into mind like a stab. He also remembered the crystal's words about how he had left the village, betrayed everyone and tried to kill Naruto, who had never stopped thinking about him as a precious friend.

It was too much to handle. Sasuke had felt his eyes burning with tears of shame and he left before anyone could say anything. Now, he was running through the thick forest, his clothes sticking against his body due to the hot and damp air which made it harder to breathe, his pants and sandals dirty with dust.

How could he face Naruto again? What was he supposed to say or do? Apologize? That was completely useless after what he had done. A simple apology would never be enough to make up for all that happened. He didn't think there was anything he could do that would.

And, even if he came back, nothing would be like it used to. Not now when he finally knew the truth about his past, about how cruel he had been in his past life and after his rebirth. Things never seemed to get better and he ended up hurting Naruto again. Maybe he couldn't change and his dark nature would never go away.

God… he wanted his father back, his simple life back. He wished they could go back to the way things were before this nightmare happened, but… how could they? Sasuke couldn't just turn a blind eye to what he had done and neither would Naruto.

It was easier to run.

Panting, the raven finally stopped running. He didn't know where he was, but that didn't matter. He leaned against a three and waited until his breathing became steady and regular.

Then, he took the photo he had carried with him ever since Naruto had fallen into a coma: his baby picture with his smiling father and the frogs from Mount Myōboku.

With a silent sob, Sasuke pressed the photo against his chest as he heard someone calling his name in the woods.

* * *

Naruto only had time to put on the first sandals he found, grab a beige coat and run towards the forest behind the house.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, jumping from one branch to another. "Sasuke! Wait!"

The blond looked everywhere as he tried to find Sasuke. Once again, he was running after Sasuke. It seemed like all his life he had chased after Sasuke for one reason or another, however, he felt that he was chasing him now not because he wanted to save him from his vengeance or to convince him to go back to Konoha.

Naruto was chasing Sasuke because he couldn't bear the thought of losing him.

He remembered now that the raven had begun a killing spree shortly after his defeat, just like he remembered his feelings of grief when he agreed to kill him in order to stop. He had gone after Sasuke in secret and, when he found him, he knew his friend had been consumed by his hatred. They had fought and then…

"_Damn it! Another blank!"_ Naruto cursed to himself. _"What happened after the fight?"_

No matter how hard Naruto tried to remember, all he saw was a vision of a white tornado and the blurry silhouette of someone talking to him. After that, he remembered being in Mount Myōboku for a long time, sometimes angry, tired or very happy.

That was when he finally remembered the face he wanted to see… the tiny, black-haired baby boy in his charge. The overwhelming feeling that this fragile life depended on him, the fear of screwing up and hurt him, the confusing awkwardness he felt when he took care of the baby and, finally, how that awkwardness was slowly turned into a strong and foreign love.

_**"Please... take care of my little brother."**_

Naruto jolted upright has his memories burst into his mind: Itachi ghostly reappearance, black feathers swirling around Sasuke, the infant's cries under his dirty clothes in the following morning…

The baby that Sasuke had turned into.

Naruto was supposed to feel shocked or even shaken, but he wasn't. He realized that the moment he had seen Sasuke staring back at him in his bedroom, at some level, he had known. He had felt so relieved, so happy, so… proud of him.

Still searching for the raven, Naruto let his memories of his fatherhood come back gradually, enjoying them. When he heard the choked sobs, his memory had been completely restored, so he walked slowly, stopping just a few meters from his regretful son.

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke. Sasuke knew Naruto was staring at him, but he couldn't bring himself to lift his head and face him, terrified of what he might see. When it started to rain, the raven was silently glad because the water would mask his tears.

"Sasuke…" Naruto said quietly, watching the raven's shoulders trembling. "I remember you now. I know that you went to that fake world to save me and I…"

"Don't say it!" Sasuke shook his head violently. "Don't say I saved you! Don't thank me! I was the one who put you in a coma! I almost got you killed!"

Naruto was about to object, but he knew that wouldn't help. Instead he stayed where he was, dripping wet from the cold rain.

"What do you want me to say, Sasuke?" the blond asked. "Do you want me to tell you that I'll never forgive you? That I hate you? That I want you to leave and never come back?"

Sasuke shivered at words, but he still didn't look up. "You should say that. You'd be right… I was the one who made your life miserable. I…" Sasuke closed his eyes and let his tears run down his face along with the rain. "I know what I did in the past."

Naruto blinked. "What?"

"I know I was your teammate. I saw your… _**our**_ team photo" Sasuke went on. "I know that left Konoha and I tried to kill you."

Naruto was taken aback. He didn't want Sasuke to know about his past so soon. He knew he wasn't ready for all that heartbreak and he felt horrible for being unable to protect him from his dark past.

He knew Sasuke didn't believe that Naruto hated him, nor did he want him to hate him. Sasuke hated himself and he felt that he deserved to be punished for what he had done.

"Why don't you yell at me? You should be mad" the raven cried out. "Why did you adopt me after what I did to you? Didn't you think that I could betray you again?"

Naruto remained silent and let Sasuke say what was eating him inside. That was the only thing he could do for him.

"I know it is useless to apologize now… it's too late. Things will never be okay again. We can't be a family again" the raven went on, his voice breaking. "I screwed up, because I was so jealous. I couldn't bear the thought that you liked somebody else more than me. I didn't want you to miss your rival because I wanted to be your best friend, not just your son" Sasuke let his arms drop along his body. "Now… I'm neither."

Sasuke shoulders slumped and his words were choked by silent sobs. Feeling his hands trembling, Naruto walked towards the raven who tried to step back but his back hit against a tree. Carefully and almost timidly, the blond placed his hand on Sasuke's cheek and cleaned his stream of tears.

The raven finally opened his eyes and looked up, his gaze meeting Naruto's familiar sky-blue eyes, surprised to find so much kindness and love in them instead of the resentment he expected and deserved.

Naruto shouldn't love him. He should hate him. Sasuke was worse than scum, he wasn't worthy of Naruto's love. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to push his hand or look away again.

"I don't regret anything" Naruto said softly, still cleaning Sasuke's tears. "I'm glad that I met you and being your friend, just like I don't regret having adopted you. I couldn't be happier."

"Why? You lost your best friend because of me…"

"I didn't lose him" Naruto interrupted, holding Sasuke's face with his hands. "I never lost my best friend because those feelings were never gone, they got stronger" the blond rested his forehead against Sasuke's, their eyes fixed on each other. "Our friendship changed into a bond that I never thought could be so powerful, the bond between a father and a child. You'll always be my best friend. I didn't lose anything; I won a family, a son… I will never regret anything, except being unable to protect you from all that suffering. So, I'm asking you… please don't leave. Don't go away again."

Sasuke closed his eyes and felt Naruto pushing his head against his shoulder. After that, the blond noticed the photo on the raven's fingers and took it with one hand while the other stroked his son's black hair. He was glad Sasuke had kept that picture with him, that he didn't reject their happy moments as a family.

"I'm sorry" Sasuke whimpered, his voice muffled by Naruto's shirt. "I know that apologizing is worthless, but I'm sorry. I'm so sorry… Papa."

The last word was said hesitantly and fearfully. Sasuke was still afraid to be rejected and his guilt wasn't going to disappear so easily. Nevertheless, it felt so good to be with his Dad again, so right.

"I'm sorry too" Naruto said. "I should have realized that you were upset about my stories. Maybe I should have told you the truth sooner, but I thought you were still too young and… I was selfish."

"Selfish?" the raven asked while looking at Naruto's troubled expression. "Why would you be selfish?"

The blond stared back at Sasuke.

"Because I didn't want things to change between us" Naruto explained. "I was scared that once you found out that you had been my teammate, you would feel... different about me. I didn't want to lose my son."

Sasuke gaped. He had expected the exact opposite of what his father was saying. "I thought you missed being with your rival. You seemed so happy when you talked about him."

"I was happy, because I treasure those memories and I'm happy you and I fought together as children, but…" Naruto pulled Sasuke's wet fringe away from his face, something he wouldn't even think about doing twelve years ago. "I wouldn't want to go back to the past, because I'm not the same troublemaker kid that I was and you're not the same brooding Sasuke. We both changed, even though we're the same people. I wouldn't want to go back to that if it meant losing you as my kid."

Sasuke felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his chest and he finally hugged his father back like he used to, with no holding back.

"I thought I could become just your teammate again, if that was what you wanted. But I knew I couldn't stop thinking of you as my Dad" the raven whispered. "I don't want things to change either. I want us to go back to the way it was."

Naruto smiled and rubbed Sasuke's back softly, still surprised how his little boy had become so big. He was about to say something about it when he heard Sasuke gasp and his body almost fell to the ground if Naruto wasn't holding him.

"Sasuke! What's wrong?" the blond asked, his eyes widening with fear as he realized how pale his son was.

"Papa, I don't feel very good" Sasuke said, his eyes blurry with pain. Then, suddenly, the raven's clothes seemed to be melting away from his body. Nobunaga's clothes.

"What the…?" Naruto cried out, staring as Sasuke's clothes vanished into thin air until he was naked. "What's going on? Sasuke?"

The raven continued panting, looking tired and sick. However, there was a small smile on his pale lips.

"The curse is over" Sasuke said, closing his eyes.

* * *

Kakashi, Yamato and Sai were sitting on Naruto's living room waiting for his and Sasuke's return.

After Riku had almost fainted, Yamato helped him and Shigeru by taking them to their Mansion and placing the ill young man in his father's bedroom. After asking if there was something else he could do for them, Shigeru shook his head and thanked Yamato for his help. So, the ANBU returned to Naruto's house and left the Sanada leader looking after his son.

The ninja had been waiting for almost an hour when they heard the front door open and walked to the hall.

Naruto had returned, wet to the bones and holding a seemingly unconscious Sasuke in his arms, wrapped in his coat.

The raven wasn't looking very well. In fact, he looked at sick as Riku.

"Naruto? Is everything, okay?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah, it's going to be fine" the blond said, walking past his team. Before he went up the stairs, he turned and looked at them with a solemn expression in his face. "I know you want answers, but Sasuke is very tired and he doesn't feel very good now. I'm going to look after him tonight. If you want sleep, we have many vacant rooms. I'll talk to you in the morning."

Without waiting for their answer, Naruto went up the stairs and their heard a door closing.

Kakashi sighed. Obviously, Naruto had recovered his memories and he wasn't happy that they had tracked him down and found him and Sasuke against his wishes. It was going to be a difficult morning.

"I guess it's over for tonight" the older Jōnin said. "Let's go to sleep."

Yamato nodded, feeling rather tired himself. As for Sai, he couldn't help but wonder what Naruto and Sasuke had done for almost an hour in the woods and why had Sasuke return home completely naked.

"I guess Hinata his going to be very disappointed as well" Sai whispered, as both Yamato and Kakashi looked at him in confusion.

* * *

_**It's easier to run  
Replacing this pain with something numb  
It's so much easier to go  
Than face all this pain here all alone**_

**_Sometimes I remember the darkness of my past_**  
**_Bringing back these memories I wish I didn't have_**  
**_Sometimes I think of letting go and never looking back_**  
**_And never moving forward so there'd never be a past_**

**_(If I could change I would take back the pain I would)_**  
**_(Retrace every wrong move that I made I would)_**  
**_(If I could stand up and take the blame I would)_**  
**_(If I could take all the shame to the grave I would)_**  
**_(If I could change I would take back the pain I would)_**  
**_(Retrace every wrong move that I made I would)_**  
**_(If I could stand up and take the blame I would)_**  
**_(I would take all my shame to the grave)_**

**_Just washing it aside_**  
**_All of the helplessness inside_**  
**_Pretending I don't feel misplaced_**  
**_It's so much simpler than change_**

**Easier to Run by Linkin Park**

* * *

**If you remember, I used a song's title on chapter 50, when Naruto fell into a coma. Now its chapter 60 and he finally woke up, so I thought it would be fitting. Besides, I had this song on my head every time I wrote this chapter.**

**I could tell you why both Riku and Sasuke are feeling ill, but I guess you already know. All I can say is that it is happening with the other adult-kids as well. **

**Thanks for reading up until now. See ya!**


	61. Backwards

**Hi! Even though I'm still trying to come out of the shock that was chapter 599, I managed to finish this chapter. X_X**

**I got over 80 reviews for last chapter! Thank you so much! I know I'm greedy but should I aim for the 3000 reviews? ^_^**

**Warning: sex... stuff!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Backwards**

後方 _(Kōhō)_

_01:00 am_

_23… 22…_

Shigeru sat near his bed, while Riku drifted from consciousness to sleep. He tried to appear calm and positive, but he couldn't help his fingers from trembling as he cleaned his son's sweaty face with a wet cloth.

He was the one who decided to put Riku in his bedroom instead of the boy's, not only because the room and bed were bigger but also because he wasn't planning on leaving his side until he recovered.

Shigeru had no idea why Riku had fallen ill so suddenly, though he suspected that Naruto's awakening had something to do with it. However, he couldn't help feeling a lump in his throat every time Riku whimpered with pain, his skin white as a sheet and his eyes staring at him in confusion. It reminded him too much of the night when Hatori had died and that made him even more frightened.

"Tou-san?"

Shigeru woke up from his reverie and leaned towards the panting young man. It was one in the morning and sleep was getting the best of him.

"What is it Riku? What do you need?" the samurai asked, putting his hand on Riku's forehead. Apparently his fever had dropped.

The young man's eyes looked hazily at his father, as if he didn't understand why he was there. "Where am I?"

Shigeru frowned but answered nonetheless. "In my bedroom. Yamato-dono helped me take you here when you fainted. Don't you remember?"

Riku looked around and then stared at his father again. "Aren't you angry? Because I'm in your room…"

"Of course I'm not angry" Shigeru said quietly. "I was the one who told him to bring you here."

Riku closed his eyes and relaxed. He looked so tired that Shigeru didn't have the heart to question him any further.

"_He's exhausted and needs to sleep"_ the Sanada thought.

As he tucked his son into bed, he heard the sound of footsteps on the hall. His warrior instincts were the first to awaken and he grabbed his sword, ready to fight another ruthless opponent and protect Riku while the door opened.

"Sanada Shigeru! Put that sword down! Do want to blind someone?"

Shigeru's brown eyes widened as his mother walked into the room, brazenly pushing his sword away with a frown on her face. She still looked a bit pale and maybe a little thinner, but she was definitely conscious and ready to scold as always.

"Hahaue… You're… awake" Shigeru muttered, putting his sword down.

"I was a sleep for too long" Kiyomi said, her expression softening as she hugged her son. "What about you? Are you alright? Where did you get all those wounds?"

Shigeru smiled with relief and kissed his mother's forehead. "I'm fine. It's only a few cuts."

"I did it" Riku said quietly, while his father and grandmother looked at him. "I fought, Tou-san. I almost…"

Kiyomi didn't let her grandson finish his sentence, rushing to hug him tight against her chest. "Oh, baby… My sweet baby boy… You came back. I knew you would come back."

Riku felt his eyes burning with tears of remorse and he slowly hugged his grandmother back. "I'm sorry, Baa-san… I'm so sorry for what I did to you."

"Shh! No more apologies, I know it wasn't you doing it. There was no way my boy would do something like this in his right mind. I raised you better than that" Kiyomi said, holding Riku's face in her hands. "I don't expect an explanation now, we can wait. I don't want apologies either, you hear me! I just want to be with my boys for now, my two handsome boys…"

Riku nodded and laid his head on his grandma's lap while she stroked his hair, just like when he was little. His father sat on the other side of the large bed, covered him with the blanket and grabbed his hand.

Riku smiled. He had always dreamed about a moment like this with his family. Maybe he was dreaming, but it still felt nice.

"Tell me, honey… did you fight against your father?" Kiyomi asked.

"Yes…" the young man muttered, feeling his face hot and red.

"Did you kick his ass?"

Riku blinked and looked at his grandmother; however, it was Shigeru who answered the question with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Yes. Yes, he did."

Kiyomi laughed. "It was about time!"

* * *

_01:36 am_

_22… 21…_

Naruto helped Sasuke in the shower and dressed him with his own clothes before picking him up again. The raven was so lethargic that he didn't even complain about being able to take a bath by himself or feel embarrassed for being held naked like a baby.

When Naruto opened the door to his bedroom, he stopped by the doorframe. Sasuke's bed had no sheets or covers on it.

"Sasuke? Where are your sheets?"

"In your bedroom" Sasuke answered, barely opening his eyes. "I never slept here."

"Why?"

"I was scared that you'd die and I kept waking up to see if you were still breathing. So I took the sheets to your bedroom and I slept there."

Naruto smiled and walked to his bedroom, opening the door with his foot. Just as Sasuke had said, he found the boy's crumpled sheets in the bottom of his bed.

"You should have kept the house cleaner" Naruto said. "I've seen the mountain of dirty clothes on the laundry basket and your room is a mess. You could have been a little tidier, young man."

"Tou-chan, not now!" the raven whined. "I was busy trying to wake you up; I didn't have time for laundry."

"Fine. We'll talk about your chores after you feel better. I'm not going to clean this _monster_ Mansion by myself!" Naruto said with a mischievous smile that made Sasuke chuckle. It felt reassuring to have his Dad again, even if he was being scolded.

Naruto tucked his son into bed and sat beside him. Contrasting with the white sheets, Sasuke's skin seemed even paler and the rings around his eyes even more pronounced.

"How are you feeling?" Naruto asked, stroking the young man's hair. "Are you in pain? Do want me to summon a toad and get Tsunade Baa-chan?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I'm alright, just tired that's all."

Naruto frowned and touched the raven's forehead, which was a little warm. He would feel a lot better if Tsunade was there to take a look at Sasuke, but he looked so sleepy that the blond decided to summon her tomorrow instead.

"Then you should sleep" Naruto said.

Sasuke looked down, burying his face against the soft pillow. "What about our sensei and the others?"

Naruto sighed. "Don't worry. I'm going to talk to them tomorrow."

"Are they… going to arrest me?"

"What? No! Of course not!" the blond cried out.

"Why not? That's what happens to a nuke-nin after being caught."

Sasuke pulled his knees up to his chest. He had read about the consequences of defecting, it was one of the most basic rules. A ninja who left his village, either for criminal or personal reasons, would be marked for death. They were the scum of the shinobi world, just like Sasuke was…

"You're not a nuke-nin. Not anymore" Naruto said.

"I left Konoha" Sasuke whispered. "I'm still a traitor."

Naruto pulled his son's chin upwards so he would face him. "Sasuke, listen to me. It's true that you left the village, but everything changed after your rebirth. You changed! You're not the same person who left that day. Tsunade Baa-chan knows that, she's the Hokage. She told me more than once what a great ninja you're gonna be in the future."

"Then why aren't we in Konoha?" Sasuke asked, noticing that Naruto's face had become tense. "It's because of me, isn't it? We don't live there because of what I did."

"Sasuke…"

"Don't lie to me! Please… you promised you would never lie to me…"

Naruto sighed again and nodded before lying down next to Sasuke. "You're right. That was part of the reason why I didn't raise you in Konoha."

Sasuke bit his lips. What was he expecting to hear? That all of Konoha was waiting for him with a "welcome back" party?

"It's because I'm a criminal" the raven finally said after minutes of awkward silence. "Everybody hates me because I was evil and they'll never forgive me."

Naruto pushed Sasuke into a tight embrace, feeling his troubled heart beating against his chest.

"I promised I wouldn't lie to you and I always keep my word, so listen to me carefully" Naruto said. "I've fought a lot of enemies and I've met people truly evil. I also met people who behaved badly because their ideals were wrong or their hearts were so shattered that their own soul was plunged into darkness, just like you were. You did bad things in your past, but you were never evil. I always knew there was more to you than that because you my best friend."

"You're just saying that because you're my Dad now. If you weren't…"

"I'd still think the same way! Do really think I'd be friends with someone who was evil?"

Sasuke gulped and buried his face on his father's shoulder. He thought about Naruto's cheerfulness and his honesty. Someone like him would never be able to fake affection or friendship.

"I… I think not…"

"Exactly, so please stop saying that you're evil" Naruto mumbled, rubbing Sasuke's back. "I know my son better than anyone else in the world and he's not evil. Sure, he can be a stubborn, impatient bighead, but he's also the bravest, smartest, strongest boy in the world. The size of his big head matches his big heart."

Sasuke had to smile. Only his Dad would insult and praise him at the same time and still make him feel better.

"I guess I take after my father" the raven said. "Including the bighead part."

"Oh, no. That big head of yours came with the package, smartass" Naruto teased.

Sasuke smiled and his body relaxed against his father's, one of his hands grabbing his shirt. He guessed they should look very silly like that, but he honestly couldn't care less. He had waited to be with his Daddy for so long, he had cried so many tears and begged him so many times to come back. Screw it! He needed to be a kid!

"Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

Naruto hesitated for a moment, but he had promised Sasuke that he would tell him the truth. "The reason I didn't raise you in Konoha was mostly because of a promise I made when I adopted you."

"A promise?"

"Yeah… I made a promise that I was gonna give you a happy childhood. I didn't want you to grow up feeling remorse for what you had done or worse, feeling that people hated you without knowing why. That's why I was waiting until you got older to tell you the truth about your past, so you'd be able to deal with it."

Sasuke nodded and his grip on Naruto's shirt got even tighter.

"Looking back, I feel I've been doing a terrible job as a parent" Naruto went on. "You got poisoned, trapped in a burning building, almost got killed by a vengeful woman, turned into an adult _**twice**_… I wonder if you should be around me at all."

"Tou-chan…" Sasuke refuted, but Naruto continued.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't know all the answers. I don't know if raising you outside Konoha was the right choice. I was doing my best as father, even if it's wrong" Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other in the eyes. "I'll take you back to the village when you feel ready to know everything about your past and to face it."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "You mean… if I asked you to tell me everything about my past now, you'd tell me?"

Naruto felt his heart beat faster. The truth was that he didn't want to tell him yet, he wanted to keep his little boy's innocence a little more. However, he had made his choice. "Yes. If you want, I'll tell you everything I know. You have my word."

Sasuke continued staring at his Dad, knowing that he could know every single secret about his mysterious past in the next minutes. All he needed to do was ask, still he found himself shaking his head.

"I don't want to know. I don't want to know yet" Sasuke said. "I know I'm being a coward. I should want to know all about it, but I don't… I'm sorry…"

Naruto shook his head. "It's alright. You don't have to be sorry."

"Yes, I do because it's selfish" the raven said, burying his face on Naruto's orange shirt and hearing his healthy heartbeat. "I wish… I wish I was a normal kid. I don't want to have two lives. I just want one… _**this**_ one. I wish I was like the other kids."

"I know" Naruto said, grabbing his son's hand. "It's horrible feeling different from the others and you faced more nightmares most kids. You don't have to feel sorry for not wanting to know about a past you can't remember. You're not being a coward; you're just not ready yet."

Sasuke grabbed his father's fingers harder and stared at his hands. They were slightly tanned, soft and very warm. Every memory he had about feeling scared or upset, he always recalled Naruto's hands calming him down. How could he have tried to hurt this person in the past when he loved him so much now? Why couldn't he have been born as his real son instead?

"If I had been born from you, none of this would have happened" Sasuke muttered. "We could live in the village and you could be Hokage by now. Why didn't you have sex with a girl and had me?"

Naruto startled, nearly choking on his own saliva, his face becoming deep red. "What the heck are you thinking about? I don't remember ever telling about sex before. When did you learn about it?"

"I know a lot of stuff since I aged" Sasuke answered. "C'mon, Dad. Don't be such a prude!"

"Believe me, I'm far from being a prude but that's not the point…" the blond sighed, he wasn't going to talk about sex with his seven year old son, grownup body or not. "I wouldn't want to change the past, not matter how easy it got. No matter how… _pleasant_ having sex with a girlfriend would be and having a child with her, I still wouldn't want it to happen."

Sasuke looked up, visibly surprised. "Why not?"

"Because you were the baby I fell in love with and the best friend I never regretted having" Naruto stared deep into Sasuke's eyes. "I would never have wished for a biological child, because that child would have been someone who wasn't you."

The raven opened his mouth but closed it again. Instead, he lay in bed still holding Naruto's hand.

"Now try to get some sleep. I'll stay right here with you" Naruto said softly. Sasuke smiled and closed his eyes. A few minutes later, his breathing became regular.

After changing his wet clothes, Naruto turned down the light and lay down next to his son, hearing the rain falling outside. He didn't feel sleepy at all, which was understandable since he had spent the two previous weeks sleeping.

"_I need to think about what I'm going to say to Kakashi-sensei and the others in the morning… well I have all night to think about it"_ he thought. However, twenty minutes later, he was dead to the world.

* * *

_20… 19… 18… 17…_

Sasuke whimpered silently while his bones cracked and his muscles deflated a little. The pain along with a headache woke him up for a few minutes, but felt too tired and confused to react.

After closing his eyes, he felt asleep again while his body continued changing.

_16… 15… 14…_

After three hours, the raven woke up again. He had lost a lot of weight and height, but he didn't notice it. His mind was more confused than before, like… he was getting dumber by the minute.

His body also felt weird. It hurt and his head was hot and wet with sweat, just like when he had a fever.

When Sasuke turned around, he saw the familiar mop of blond hair next to him. Naruto mumbled something in his sleep and pulled Sasuke into an embrace. Wait… Weren't they mad at each other? Didn't they have a fight after his birthday? Or was that all a dream?

Too tired to think straight, Sasuke curled up against his father's chest and dreamed.

* * *

_8:08 am_

_13…_

Naruto woke up groaning and filling that his bladder was about to explode. Two weeks without peeing had to be some sort of a record, but the blond was too busy whimpering with pain as he got up from his bed, checked that Sasuke was still sleeping and ran to the bathroom.

After he was done, the blond returned to his bedroom and checked the time in his clock. He couldn't believe that he had slept all night.

"Daddy?"

Naruto looked up and saw Sasuke's unkempt hair rising from the covers. The moment he reach the bed, noticed his son's tired eyes filled with worry and then relief as he lay down next to him.

"I'm here" Naruto said, stroking his spiky black hair.

"I thought you left…"

"I went to the bathroom. I'm a little old to wet the bed" the blond said lightheartedly. "What about you? How do you feel?"

"Dizzy" the raven answered, reaching for his father's hand. "My bones hurt."

Naruto blinked. "Your bones?"

When the blond looked at Sasuke's hand he noticed that something seemed a little off, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Only when Sasuke tried to sit down and his shoulder peeked through the collar of his back t-shirt, did Naruto realized what was happening.

"Tou-chan? Why are you looking at me like that?" Sasuke asked, rubbing his eyes with his much smaller hand.

Without a word, Naruto pulled the sheets away to reveal what he already knew. Sasuke had shrunk during the night. His adult body had been replaced by a smaller version; his muscles had virtually disappeared from his arms and he seemed to be swimming in his clothes. His face was less defined, not like an adult's but not quite like a child's either. He looked like a preteen.

Sasuke frowned as he stared at Naruto's perplexed expression before following his gaze.

"What the heck?" the raven exclaimed. "What happened to the clothes? They got big!"

"I don't think the clothes got bigger" Naruto said. "I think you got smaller."

"Smaller?"

The raven got up from bed and immediately had to grab his pants before they slipped down his much narrower waist and an uncountable amount of folds formed around his feet, while his shirt covered his knees like a dress.

"Why am I wearing your clothes?" Sasuke asked. His head felt dizzy and he sat down on the bed again, overcome with a sinking feeling.

"Sasuke? What's wrong?" Naruto asked, helping the boy lay down on the bed.

"I don't know. I feel funny, weird-funny…" Sasuke said in a haze. "I had really strange dream last night."

If Naruto didn't know better, he'd say Sasuke was drunk. He didn't even seem to notice that he had lost more than twenty centimeters last night and a whole bunch of weight. Instead, the raven preteen kicked his large pants to the floor and covered his eyes his forearm. He didn't look very concerned that he was dressed only with a shirt and boxers that looked like a tent.

"My back hurts" he moaned, grimacing. "My legs too…"

For the next few minutes, Naruto tried to help Sasuke feel better as he cried and moaned with pain. However, when he had offered to go to the medical kit and get him a painkiller, the boy grabbed his arm so tight that left tiny half-moon circles of his nails on his skin.

"Don't leave!" Sasuke cried out, tears falling down his eyes. "Please don't leave!"

"Alright, I'll stay…" the blond said, planning on waiting for a few minutes before summoning Tsunade.

Sasuke yelled even louder when the next wave of pain pierced his body, but his cries were sounding a little different. His voice was breaking, changing from a lower to higher pitch. When his bones started to crack again, Naruto couldn't help but stare in awe as his son's body kept shrinking and his legs and arms seemed like they were being pulled inside his ever growing clothes.

It was obvious now that Sasuke not shrinking, he was regressing until he reached his real age.

* * *

_9: 23 am_

_12… 11…_

Just like Kakashi, Sai and Yamato had woken up with Sasuke's cries. After dressing up quickly, the three shinobi walked out of their room and stared at Naruto's bedroom door, from where the cries and moaning were coming from.

"What on Earth is going on in there?" Yamato asked, looking at his teammates. "Did Sasuke sleep in Naruto's room?"

Sai crossed is arms around his chest. "I guess last night on the woods wasn't enough for them."

"Huh?" Yamato asked.

"What are on about, Sai?" Kakashi asked.

"It's quite obvious, isn't it?" the younger ANBU said. "They're making up for lost time."

"Making up?" Yamato repeated as Sasuke moaned even higher.

After a few seconds of silent staring, both Yamato and Kakashi blushed from head to toe.

"Sai! You're not serious!" Yamato said quietly. "They wouldn't do… _that_!"

"Why not? It actually explains a lot about what's going on" Sai said. "I must admit that I didn't expect Naruto to like guys, but then again his relationship with Sasuke was always stronger. I guess that's why they decided to run off to be together and fulfill their passion."

"Sai! I really don't think that was what happened" Kakashi said, trying to erase the image from his mind of his two students making out. It didn't help that Sasuke kept moaning!

"We should check up with them" Yamato said, moving towards Naruto door and knocking a few times. "Naruto? Is everything alright?"

After hearing a loud _"Crap!"_ from the other side of the door, Naruto opened it, using his body to prevent them from seeing what was inside.

"Hi!" the blond said, looking rather flustered. "Everything is just fine!"

"Are you sure?" Yamato asked again, as Sasuke cried out. "Is Sasuke okay?"

"He's going to be fine! Just a tummy ache" Naruto answered with an obvious fake smile. "Why don't you go downstairs and eat something? I'll be right with you."

Before any of them had the time to answer, Naruto shut the door in their faces.

* * *

"Papa? Who were they?" Sasuke asked, with the same confused expression in his face.

Naruto had already dressed him with his old clothes, but they too were growing larger on his shrinking body. The blue shirt covered his thighs and the red shorts had passed his knees. Sasuke looked to be around 11 years old and was still growing younger and more confused about his surroundings, mixing up dreams with reality.

"Huh… they're old friends of mine" Naruto said, sitting in the bed next to the drowsy child. "You met them yesterday, remember? My sensei and my teammates?"

Sasuke blinked, trying to remember them. "Kakashi…?"

"Yes, that's right. So you do remember."

"I think I remember them but… it's confusing" the boy mumbled. "I fought with them, but that was a dream. Wasn't it?"

Since Sasuke was getting another headache, Naruto told him not to worry and get some sleep. Quickly, the blond parent went to the bathroom and brought a painkiller from the medical-kit and a glass of water.

"What's that?" the raven asked.

"Medicine. It's going to make you feel better."

Sasuke looked at the round, white pill and grimaced. "Is it the good kind or the disgusting kind?"

"It's the good kind" Naruto said, giving his son the pill and watching drink a glass full of water.

He couldn't help but wonder if Sasuke was going to forget everything that had happened after he had "grown", just like when Kabuto had drugged him two years ago or with Itachi's Kinjutsu. He thought about their conversation about his past and what he had done under the Nobunaga's control and honestly he didn't feel like going through that all over again. Still, if he did forget, Naruto would be there to explain everything.

"Do you want something to eat?" Naruto asked.

"No, thanks. I think I want to sleep a little longer" Sasuke said, covering himself with the sheet. "Is that okay?"

"Sure. You can sleep as much as you want."

* * *

_10:00 am_

_11… 10…_

After Sasuke had fallen asleep, Naruto finally took a quick shower, got dressed with some decent clothes that weren't wrinkled or smelled like moisture and went to the kitchen, ready to face his sensei and comrades after seven years of silence.

Kakashi, Yamato and Sai were all sitting at the table, holding cups. Naruto had been worried that Sasuke had forgotten to go shopping, but his son had been responsible in that area. After all, he needed to eat too.

"Naruto!" Kakashi said, watching his blond student walk towards the table.

"Hi… again. Sorry about my reaction upstairs" Naruto said, sitting down with them.

"It's… okay" Yamato said, though he was blushing.

Naruto frowned in confusion, but quickly dismissed it. "I guess you want some answers about Sasuke, huh?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. However, before we start, can I ask you something else?"

Naruto shrugged. "Sure. What?"

"A few years ago, we were told by Shikamaru that you had a son" Kakashi said, noticing Naruto's blue eyes widening with surprise. "Yet, yesterday Sasuke told us that there was no son and that he was… _gone_. Later that day, Riku gave us the impression that wasn't true."

Naruto nodded. "Riku was right. I have a son but he… he wasn't quite himself lately."

"You mean he was under that curse too?" Yamato asked.

"Yes" wanting to get to the point, Naruto faced them with an angry frown. "Well… I don't mean to be an ass, but what are you guys doing here? Why did you come after me?"

"It's my fault, Naruto" Kakashi said. "I was the one who decided to come; they followed me after I left the village."

"Does Baa-chan know about this?" Naruto asked, his expression serious and unfriendly.

"No. Tsunade-sama wouldn't let us go if she knew what we were doing."

"Then why did you come?" the blond cried out. "Why didn't you trust me and respect my privacy?"

Kakashi sighed. "I started to question whether or not Sasuke was really dead. As years went by and you and Tsunade got even more secretive about it, made me even more suspicious. I wasn't planning on doing something until I saw Tsunade-sama take Sasuke's Sword of Kusanagi from the stone where I and Sakura had put it. After telling me that the sword had probably been stolen when I told her about it, I realized that she knew who you were hiding. I realized that Sasuke was probably alive and I… I wanted to make sure if that was true."

Naruto closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. It wasn't that he didn't understand Kakashi's point of view or his wish to see if one of his students was really alive. If Naruto had been in his position, he would have searched for Sasuke way sooner no matter what people said. However, if Kakashi, Yamato and Sai had figured out that Sasuke was alive, how long would it take for someone else?

"I kept it a secret for a reason, sensei. I wanted to protect Sasuke" Naruto said, facing his comrades. "He's not… the same person that was killing innocent villagers randomly. He changed a lot! I couldn't let him be captured and executed."

Kakashi closed his eyes, while Sai and Yamato stared at each other.

"Naruto… why don't you tell us what happened when you fought against Sasuke seven years ago?" Yamato suggested. "What did you do to make him change so drastically?"

Realizing that he had no choice but tell them truth, Naruto started telling his story from the moment he saw Guren and Yukimaru on Konoha.

* * *

_10:41 am_

_9… 8…_

Sasuke woke up when the sunrays hit his face like the flash of a camera. He had groaned and hidden his head under the covers, but that didn't help. He was awake and he should get up. Besides, his stomach was grumbling.

Lazily, the raven sat in the bed, yawned and looked at the clock. Confused, he blinked, rubbed his eyes and stared at the clock again before his body tensed with panic.

The Kenjutsu exam! He was supposed to be in school by seven, now the exam was already over. He had missed it. He couldn't believe that he had missed his exam because he had overslept! It wasn't fair, he had trained so hard and now he had failed it because of something so stupid!

"No!" he cried out and quickly jumped of the bed, nearly losing his shorts in the process. "What the…?"

Then, Sasuke noticed two things at the same time. One, he was wearing his Dad's old clothes that didn't fit him anymore but looked gigantic on his tiny, muscle free body. Two, he was in Naruto's bedroom.

How did he get to his father's room? He couldn't remember going there in the middle of the night. He remembered his birthday party and… he remembered waking up super early, make his own breakfast and have a nasty fight with his Dad before running out of the house to attend his exam. But that couldn't be right, because he couldn't remember ever doing the exam. Instead, his memories were all blurry and confusing like he had some weird dream and something had been sucked out of his head.

As he was thinking it, Sasuke heard voices coming from downstairs. One of them was definitely Naruto's, but the other voices he couldn't tell who they were, though they seemed familiar…

Grabbing the waistband of the shorts, the boy was walking towards the door when he noticed the sword leaning on the wall. With his eyes widening, the boy grabbed the chokutō and removed the scabbard. Almost in a trance, he stared at the clean blade and saw his face reflected on its shiny surface.

"_Kizuna_" he whispered and jumped up as the foggy memories of the previous two weeks replayed on his head like a bad quality video. He hadn't been dreaming all those things. He really had been turned into an adult while his Dad had been in a coma.

Suddenly, more self ware, Sasuke ran to his father's full-length mirror and stared at his body. He was still a bit older than he used to, but at least he was kid again.

_11:00 am_

_8… 7_

He then noticed a strange feeling of pins and needles on his hands and feet. Mesmerized, the raven boy looked at his reflection and, with a sinking feeling, he saw himself grow shorter and his shorts slipped down his legs to the floor. His hands and feet got smaller too and his face looked rounder, like a little boy's and finally losing any traces of puberty.

Sasuke was so fascinated by his regression that he sat in front of the mirror until the sensations started to fade way. When he stood up, Naruto's shirt was way too big for him and there was no way he could wear those shorts again.

After grabbing Kizuna, the raven opened the door and ran straight to his bedroom, ashamed that he was walking around butt naked with those three ninja in the house. So, he immediately started searching for a pair of underwear and some fitting pants.

He still found it hard to believe that he wasn't dreaming and had actually fought against Riku (and won!), Nobunaga's ghost and a bunch of crystal monsters in his Daddy's dream. That was pretty awesome!

Still, there was parts of it that he wished it had been a dream. Like knowing that he had been a missing-nin in his past life, instead of the good shinobi he had always thought. Also, it was still very unbelievable that he had been his Dad's rival and best friend all along and that he had really tried to kill him…

Right now, his father was talking to their old sensei (gosh, that was weird!) and those two other guys. Probably he was trying to convince them not to throw him into jail and kill him like they did with all the other criminals.

Sasuke had just put on his grey shorts, when he heard screams coming from the kitchen. Angry screams.

Scared about what those people could be talking about him, the raven decided to go downstairs. If he stayed close to Tou-chan, they wouldn't dare taking him away.

* * *

"I found Sasuke on a burning village and we fought" Naruto told his teammates. He had been careful not to omit any detail, including his resolve to kill Sasuke and stop him from killing more innocents. However, the hard part of his story came now.

"So? What happened next?" Yamato asked.

Naruto sighed and scratched his head. "Well, huh… that's when things got a bit… complicated."

"You don't have to feel embarrassed Naruto" Sai said with a smile. "We understand what happened."

Naruto frowned. "You do?"

"We do?" Yamato and Kakashi asked at the same time.

"I guess you couldn't help but run of to protect Sasuke" the black-haired ANBU continued. "After all, love is more powerful than any force in the world. I read that on a book."

"What?" Naruto asked.

"Sai, I don't think…" Kakashi said, blushing under his mask as he understood what Sai was saying, but he went on anyway.

"Your relationship with Sasuke was always very powerful and unique. It was about time you two understood your feelings for each other before eloping."

Naruto's eyes widened so much that they seemed to be about to pop out of his head. Surely he wasn't hearing what he thought he was hearing.

"What the hell are you talking about?" the blond asked, his voice rising.

Sai's smile only got bigger. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. We understand that you two couldn't help yourselves but to become lovers. It's a good thing that you finally tasted the pleasures of the flesh!"

"WHAT?" Naruto face was as red as a pepper. He rose from his chair so quickly that it fell on the floor with a bang. "What the fuck are you talking about, asshole?"

"Sai… I beg you to stop…" Yamato mumbled.

"Why? I don't understand why you're denying it, Naruto" Sai went on, while Naruto's eyes seemed glow with anger. "We all know that you and Sasuke made out on the woods last night and continued your love making this morning. Everyone heard Sasuke moan all the way to the beach. You must be amazing in bed!"

The punch was so quick that Sai was caught completely off guard. Naruto had grabbed him by the collar and pulled his bloody face right in front of his face.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"Naruto! Calm down!" Kakashi yelled, while both he and Yamato tried to force him to let go of Sai.

Everybody was so focused on what they were doing, that they didn't notice the small boy approaching the kitchen.

"Tou-chan!"

Instantly, Naruto dropped Sai on his chair and the four men stared at the raven child with an oversized blue shirt that was at the doorframe.

"Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, his black eye wide with shock. "Is that you?"

The boy nodded, blushing a little because of all the attention his sudden appearance had caused.

"He's… a _**child**_?" Sai mumbled, dripping blood all over Naruto's table.

"How is this possible?" Yamato asked.

Naruto sighed loudly and walked to the boy, picking him up carefully while Sasuke put his small arms affectionately around his neck.

"Guys…" Naruto said. "I want you to meet my son."

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Sai cleaned the blood from his nose and faced Naruto once more with a serious expression in his black eyes.

"Pedophile…"

This time, the punch made Sai fly across the room and out of the window.

* * *

**I have to say that have nothing against Yaoi, most of my favorite stories on this site are Yaoi. Please don't misunderstand this chapter as homophobic; it was all for the sake of comedy.**

**I hope you liked the slow age regression, which was something I wanted to do for a while.**

**See ya!**


	62. The Aftermath

**Hi! I know plenty of you can't wait until Sasuke goes back to Konoha, which is going to happen but, like I said earlier, when he's 10 years old. Please be patient.**

**Also, to cam171313: I felt honored that you decided to review this fanfic, but I couldn't find your page no matter how hard I looked. Can you please tell me where it is?**

**Back to the chapter. As always, enjoy!**

* * *

**The Aftermath**

余波 _(Yoha)_

When Sai found his way back to the kitchen, he looked directly at Sasuke or, at least, the little kid that had once been Uchiha Sasuke. The raven child couldn't help but grim at his bloody and swollen face, his onyx eyes shining with childish glee that something so funny had happened to a guy he didn't like.

While Sai could only feel surprised and confused about Sasuke's sudden regression, Kakashi looked far too shocked for words. One of his students, the student he had failed to teach, the student he had grieved and mourned, who he thought was lost forever, was right in front of him with his tiny fists grabbing Naruto's shirt.

His gaze had changed drastically. Sasuke's eyes didn't reflect his continuous brooding nature or his deep anger and hatred for the many losses in his life, he looked… innocent and a little fearful. This boy had a completely different aura than the Sasuke he had known.

Feeling his former sensei stare, Sasuke curled up against Naruto's chest and whispered something to his ear. The blond smiled comfortingly at the young child and stroked his hair.

"No. I've told you" Naruto said to the boy. "No one is going anywhere."

The two seemed completely at ease. Kakashi had never seen Naruto or Sasuke behave like that with anyone, let alone with each other. The Naruto he knew and remembered was still the boy who would do anything to save his friend from his vengeance, which was why he hadn't really felt surprised when he learned that both Naruto and Sasuke were alive. He had imagined that Naruto had finally been able to convince the international criminal of his poisonous path and taken him to somewhere safe where he could regain his senses.

Kakashi had never imagined that he would find him like this. It had to be some mistake, a jutsu or something like that. Because there was no way Uchiha Sasuke could be a child! Sasuke would never look remotely like an innocent kid after what he had been through and he would never, _never_ call Naruto _"Tou-chan"_.

"What is the meaning of this?" the white-haired Jōnin asked slowly, his black eye fixed on his students. "Why do you look like that, Sasuke?"

The raven looked at Kakashi with a scared expression in his face. Naruto, however, seemed torn between explaining the situation and not wanting Sasuke to find out anymore of his past crimes.

"Kakashi-sensei…" the blond muttered.

"I don't understand why you've taken that form, Sasuke" Kakashi went on. "Please, turn back into your real age."

Sasuke gulped. He tried to look away from the masked shinobi, but his eyes seemed stuck on the man's gaze. He remembered that he had fought against them and that he had pretended to be the _Sasuke_ he thought they knew and wanted. No wonder Kakashi thought he was using a transformation technique.

"This… this is my real age" Sasuke mumbled timidly. "This is how I really look like. I was lying before."

The older Jōnin blinked and frowned, obviously confused and annoyed by the raven's words. "What are you talking about?"

"Sasuke…" Naruto muttered, but the boy shook his head.

"It's okay, Tou-chan. I lied to them. They think I remember" Sasuke explained, feeling the palms of his hands sweaty. "I didn't tell them what happened to me, that's why they think I'm the Sasuke they remember. I told them… your son was gone."

Naruto nodded and patted the child's back. He knew his boy. He knew how the present events had troubled him and how the knowledge of his past was haunting him.

"_He's feeling guilty"_ the blond thought sadly. _"Even though we already talked, he feels guilty for what he did. Ashamed and disappointed too. I wish I could take that all away. I wish could protect him from this and the other painful truths… I can't change your past, son. But I can help you face it. I can protect you from those who still cling to it."_

The boy faced the three wide-eyed ninja in front of him, feeling their gazes piercing through his face. However, Sasuke knew he had to do the right thing instead of hiding behind his father like a coward. He had done a bad thing, maybe many bad things, and, even if he didn't remember them, it had still been him.

"I don't remember you. I don't remember any of you" the child said, fighting the growing lump in his throat. "I don't remember being in Team 7 or… leaving Konoha. I lost my memory when I was turned into a baby seven years ago, I just remember being a kid!" despite all his efforts, Sasuke felt his eyes burn and, eventually, tears rolled down his face.

Kakashi didn't know what surprised him most, Sasuke's words or his genuine tears. He had never seen the Uchiha cry before, he always controlled his emotions. Displaying his sadness and fear in front of them was something the Sasuke he knew would never do.

However, this boy was sounding less and less like the Sasuke he knew. Turned into a baby seven years ago? Memory loss? What was going on?

"I didn't know Daddy… I mean, Naruto used to be my teammate. I didn't know I had hurt him, I swear…" the raven said, barely controlling his sobs and cursing himself for crying. "I'm sorry for what I did."

Unable to keep staring the adults' faces, Sasuke lowered his head and fell silent.

"You're sorry for what you did?" Kakashi asked slowly, his calm voice veiling his palpable anger. "Do you really believe it's that simple, Sasuke?" the boy cringed with each of Kakashi's words, tears still falling down his face. "Have you any idea how many lives you have…?"

"_**Enough!**_" Naruto yelled, shutting Kakashi up. His blue eyes were fixed on his sensei, shinning with fury as he pulled the scared child against his chest. "That's enough! Not another word, sensei. If you want answers, you'll get them from me."

The blond picked up his son and left the kitchen, leaving all three ninja shocked by his austerity. When he got to Sasuke's room, he dressed him in a blue hooded shirt, cleaned his tears with a reassuring smile and whispered that everything was going to be okay. When they came down the stairs, Naruto created a single clone.

"My clone will explain you everything I know" Naruto said to the men sitting in his kitchen baffled by his unusual coldness. "We'll be out for a few hours. Do what you want when you're done."

The moment Naruto closed the door; Kakashi felt a painful pang in his chest. He was trained not to let sentiments get in the way, but he couldn't pretend that he didn't feel hurt by Naruto's reaction. He was angry at Sasuke; he had been angry and disappointed with him for years. It hadn't helped seeing the trail of corpses his former student had left in his path of destruction or hear the desperate cries of the survivors who had lost everything because of him.

Yes, Kakashi had every right to be angry with Sasuke. However, he did feel that he had talked to a totally different person.

There was also Naruto strange behavior. He looked too serious and completely protective of Sasuke, caring for him like true child. He really looked like…

"_A father"_ Kakashi thought, his eye widening. _"He looks like a father."_

"_**I want you to meet my son."**_

What did he mean by that? Was Naruto serious? Did he really think of Sasuke as his child now?

"Naruto, what in the world happened seven years ago?" Kakashi asked the clone.

The blond Bunshin sighed and sat at the table, though his blue eyes were still cold and stern.

"During our last battle, Itachi's chakra manifested. He had placed a bit of his power inside me if I couldn't convince Sasuke to stop" the shadow clone explained. "It was Itachi's last resort and the most drastic one. If Sasuke didn't stop, if his memories and his power were pulling him down into a path of death and destruction, then he would have to lose them."

"Lose them?" Yamato asked carefully. "What do mean?"

"Itachi turned his brother into a newborn. He lost everything. No memories, no power, no hatred… just like a normal baby." the clone revealed. "That was the day my son was born."

* * *

Naruto held his son's small hand as they walked down the Merchant District.

Sasuke was still amazed about the noise. For two weeks, the Islands had been practically silent except for the cries of the adult-children. Every time the raven came to the city to buy food, he had seen the growing desperation in the other children's eyes, but now he could hear laughter and cheering. Like him, the other kids had turned back to their original ages and their families had awakened from the Sleeping Curse. Fortunately, the only crying he heard now was from relief.

"Everybody seems pretty happy" Naruto said, looking at the crying and smiling people who rushed to the streets to meet their family and friends. It was particularly moving to watch the reunion of the first kidnapped children with their parents.

"Yeah" the boy answered, closing his fingers tighter around his father's. For a moment, Sasuke allowed himself to forget about Kakashi and the other ninja and smiled as he saw the kids with their families again.

"Sasuke-chan!"

Sasuke didn't have time to react when a brown-haired girl ran toward him and gave him a bear-like hug, lifting the boy several centimeters in the air. It took him a few seconds to recognize Erina, the daughter of the owners of the grocery shop.

"Hi, Erina" the raven said embarrassed and trying to ignore his father's wide grin.

The girl let go of Sasuke and looked down to meet his eyes, which was kind of awkward because he used to be taller than her. Erina had turned back into an eleven year old and she even had combed her hair into pigtails like she used to.

"Mama and Papa woke up!" Erina squealed. "Hatsumi-chan and I turned back to normal too! People say that you broke the curse, just like when you killed Nobunaga. Thank you, Sasuke-chan! Thank you!"

"I… it was nothing" Sasuke mumbled. "I didn't do it alone."

"You're still a hero" she said, right before kissing his forehead. "Wait here!"

Erina ran towards her parents shop and returned with a bag. "It's candy! Lots of it! I know you like these, so I put them in this bag. Oh! They're for you too, Naruto-san! I'm glad you woke up."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks, Erina."

"I gotta go now! Bye, Sasuke-chan!" and she disappeared as fast as she had appeared.

Naruto's grin grew even wider while checked the bag of candy on his son's hands. "Well… that was very nice of Erina. I didn't know you two got along."

"It's not like that, usuratonkashi! She's a friend. She's a girl and she's a friend, not a _girlfriend_" Sasuke hissed, his brow frowned in a very Uchiha-like indignation.

Naruto tried not to laugh. "I never said she was. I was just surprised. You barely talked to her when we went shopping."

Sasuke shrugged. "She looked after the store when her parents were cursed. We talked more because she wanted to know what Riku said in the meetings" the raven started walking down the street with a smiling Naruto in tow and holding the candy bag. "She's nice and she doesn't try to make me her boyfriend, that would be gross 'cause she's four years older than me. I like her because she's nice, not like as in _marry-her-like_."

"Alright" the blond said. "I'm glad you made a friend."

Apparently, Erina wasn't the only person Sasuke had befriended during the past two weeks. Naruto was pleased to see his son waving and greeting several kids along the way, some a lot older than he was. Sasuke was still shy and awkward around them, but he greeted his new friends with a smile on his face. It was a great improvement from the brooding boy who ignored everyone in Konoha, too focused on his hatred and grief.

Sure, Sasuke would never be a high-spirited, outgoing person but that was okay. Sasuke was himself, he didn't need to be anyone else.

Since all the shops were closed, father and son walked to the isolated beaches on the other side of the island. Naruto wanted to ease Sasuke's mind and cheer him up so, when the little boy yelled with joy as he tossed his sandals to the sand and ran to the ocean like the child he was, Naruto could only smile peacefully.

A few minutes later, the boy ran back to Naruto and they sat in the sand, enjoying the warm sunlight and eating candy. From time to time, Sasuke frowned and rubbed his eyes.

"You okay?" Naruto asked.

"My eyes hurt" the raven answered, still rubbing them.

"Maybe you got sand in your eyes" the young man said. "Don't rub them. You can scratch them."

"It's not sand" Sasuke explained, though he stopped rubbing. "My eyes have hurt since we fought with Nobunaga. Do you think it's because of my Sharingan?"

Naruto remembered that Sasuke's Sharingan had matured during their fight, but he didn't think they would hurt after that unless Sasuke had overused them. There was also the fact that Sasuke's eyes were technically Itachi's eyes. Naruto hadn't thought about it until now, but how did the rebirth jutsu affect them aside from regressing them along with Sasuke's body?

"Let me see" Naruto said, pushing his son's face upwards. "Open your eyes, Sasuke."

When the boy did as he was told, Naruto's jaw dropped. Sasuke's eyes were _**blue!**_

"What?" the child asked nervously. "What, Tou-chan?"

The moment Naruto opened his mouth to talk, he noticed that the blue eyes were gone. Sasuke's eyes were both onyx again.

"What the…?"

"What happened? Tell me, Daddy!"

The blond let go of Sasuke's face, still staring at his eyes. Had he imagined it?

"Hey! It doesn't hurt anymore" the boy said happily. "This always happens, you know. They hurt for a little but them it stops… it's weird."

"When we get back home, I'm calling Baa-chan" Naruto said. "She should take a look at you."

Sasuke cringed at the words. It wasn't that he didn't want Tsunade Baa-chan to visit, but every time she _"took a look"_ at him, it usually meant needles.

"I'm fine now. Really!" the boy said, but his father's frown meant that he had made up his mind. "Alright then… but is she going to take me back to the village?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "What makes you think that?"

"Kakashi and the others want you to come back" Sasuke whispered, kicking the sand.

"I've told you, son. I'm not going anywhere… not without you."

Sasuke stopped kicking the sand, but his eyes were still fixed on his bare feet.

"I don't want you to get into trouble because of me" the child said sadly, making Naruto's heart ache.

His son was such a sweet kid. He could be selfish and inconsiderate sometimes, but there wasn't a mean bone in him. How long would it take until the rest of the planet saw that too?

"You're not getting anyone into trouble" Naruto said. "Baa-chan is the Hokage and she knows about you since you were a baby. Gaara is the Kazekage and he always knew about your past too. Not to mention Shizune Nee-chan, Iruka-sensei, Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji! They all know about you and they're okay with it. They know you're not the same person who left Konoha all those years ago."

Sasuke looked up and stared at his father's piercing, blue eyes. "That's different, Tou-chan. They're… they're like my aunts and uncles. They like me because we're family. The others hate me… they'll never forgive me, just like Kakashi."

Naruto sighed. "Kakashi-sensei was your teacher. He loves you very much, that's why, when you left, he felt so sad and angry. Besides, up until now he thought you were dead. When he saw that you were alive, he was a bit crossed because he thought we tricked him."

"Oh…" the raven said, leaning against Naruto's chest. "What about the other two?"

"Yamato-taichō and Sai?" the blond asked. "Well… they became part of the team a few years after you left. Yamato-taichō is an ANBU and he became our captain when Kakashi-sensei was in the hospital. And Sai… well…" Naruto hesitated, feeling Sasuke's eyes fixed on him.

"What about him?" the raven asked with a frown.

"He… ah… he was kind of your replacement."

"What?" Sasuke cried out, visibly angry. "You replaced me? For _**him?**_"

"It wasn't like that" Naruto said. "Baa-chan said we needed another member and Sai was chosen. You really shouldn't be mad at him. He didn't mean to replace you; he just did as he was told."

Sasuke pouted and crossed his arms around his chest. "But he's a total dick!"

"Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed. "Don't say that! Sai is a bit weird, but he's a good person and he's a friend. I don't want you to be rude to him!"

The boy's frown grew bigger. "Look who's talking… You punched him out of the window."

Naruto blushed and pouted as well. "That… that was a friendly spar. It didn't mean anything."

The boy seemed to ponder on his words for a minute, before facing Naruto again. "Dad?"

"What?"

"What's a pedophile?"

"Oh, crap…"

* * *

By the time the clone told them everything and answered all of their questions, Kakashi felt his head spinning. He supposed Yamato and Sai felt confused as well, but he knew their emotions weren't exactly the same as his.

He wasn't surprised about Itachi's decision. Itachi loved Sasuke and killing him would never be an option, even if his little brother went insane. It was a bold plan to regress Sasuke into an infant and hope that he would grow up well this time around with Uzumaki Naruto as his parent.

Kakashi could imagine how difficult it had been for Naruto to look after Sasuke in secret, search for a way to reverse the Kinjutsu and deal with the fact that his best friend not only would have to grow up all over again without his memories, but also that he thought of Naruto as his new father. Obviously, Naruto had accepted his new role on Sasuke's life. The blond was a parent to the core and Sasuke was completely his son, in heart, soul and body.

His two students, the boys he had to break apart from fighting, had become a family.

Sasuke didn't know about most of his past deeds and Naruto had forbidden them from telling him anything. The child (Kakashi still felt strange to think of him as such) was very disappointed about his past already and Naruto knew that he didn't have the maturity to know the entire truth yet. The white-haired Jōnin sort of agreed with that but they all knew that Sasuke was going to suffer with the truth sooner or later.

The Naruto clone made the hand seal and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, shortly after Kakashi heard the front door open.

"We're back" the real Naruto said, walking to the kitchen with Sasuke holding his hand. "Go upstairs and take a shower, son. I'm gonna call Baa-chan so she can see you."

The boy sulked but nodded. Avoiding looking at the three shinobi in their kitchen, Sasuke ran up the stairs mumbling something about _"stupid needles"_.

Naruto walked by Kakashi and sat at the table, rubbing his temples in a very adult way. "I guess you guys know the entire story by now."

"Yes" Yamato answered, though they all knew that was an unnecessary question since everything the clone said had gone back into Naruto.

"I'm not going back to the village" the blond said. "Not until Sasuke is ready."

"Do you think he'll ever be ready?" Sai asked.

Naruto looked at his comrade, serious but fearful. "I don't know… I can just hope he'll be ready. Just like I hope everyone else will be ready for him."

Kakashi walked towards Naruto and sat in front of him, his gaze had softened a lot after hearing the entire story. "It's not going to be easy, Naruto."

"I know" the blond said.

"People will notice his resemblance with Uchiha Sasuke even if you tell them he's your son" Kakashi went on. "Why didn't you take him to the village when he was a baby? If had grown up in Konoha, people could have gotten used to the idea yet."

Naruto shook his head sadly. "I thought about that, but I was too scared. I kept thinking that knowing about his past and being treated like a pariah since he was little would destroy Sasuke or make him hate the village again. And…" the blond looked at his sensei, tears behind his eyes. "I was scared someone decided to take him from me. When we were travelling, he was such a happy baby. He smiled all the time. I love him too much, sensei. If someone took him from me, I don't know what I would do."

Kakashi remained silent. He didn't say it out loud, but he felt like he was hearing Minato-sensei worrying about Kushina-san and their baby all over again. Naruto was just like his father and Kakashi had no doubt that if Sasuke was taken this time, Naruto wouldn't survive.

"I wanted Sasuke to have a good childhood" the young man went on. "Maybe it wasn't as happy as I hoped, but I did the best I could and I think Sasuke was happier growing up outside the village than he would have been in it. He'll have to deal with his past and the people he wronged, but I'll make sure he'll be ready for it. He's not gonna be alone."

Kakashi nodded. "I see…"

Naruto waited a few seconds, but Kakashi didn't say anything else. He wanted his teacher to say that he understood his reasons and, above all, that he forgave Sasuke. However, Naruto knew he couldn't ask that. Kakashi's feelings were his own.

"I'm going to summon Baa-chan now" the blond said, standing up and picking up a scroll and a pen. After writing a short message, asking Tsunade to come to the Islands, Naruto summoned a small frog and told him to deliver his message as quickly as possible.

After the frog left, Naruto walked towards his teammates again. The Hokage was probably busy at the time and would only be free to read the scroll at night. Meanwhile, Naruto could only wait.

"How is Sakura-chan doing?" he asked nervously.

"Sakura is fine, I guess" Sai answered. "She still has the same anger issues which, I might say, are not attractive at all. Oh! She bought a new apartment and she's helping in the Hospital."

"I see. That's good" Naruto said with a smile. "I heard that she became a Jōnin. Is she a sensei?"

"Not yet" Sai went on. "Tsunade-sama asked her if she was interested, but she declined."

Naruto sat in his chair and stared at his knuckles. "Does she know about Sasuke too?"

Sai's smile faded. "No. We didn't tell her. We didn't want to upset her unnecessarily if he was really dead. She was very sad when the Hokage told us that he died."

Naruto nodded, feeling guilty for making Sakura sad. He hated that. He knew how she felt about Sasuke and, honestly, of all his team members, he feared her meeting with Sasuke more than with anyone else.

"Naruto… you have to tell her the truth" Kakashi said softly, as if he had heard his thoughts. "It's not fair to keep this from her. She's a member of Team 7 as well. We can't keep leaving her out."

Naruto's shoulders slumped. "I'm not…"

An explosion of white smoke interrupted the blond and all men stood in a battle stance until they saw the blond hair of their Hokage waving in the center of the blast, her brown eyes glowing with fury and a huge vein throbbing in her forehead.

"What. Is. The. Meaning. Of. This?" she hissed. "Why the hell haven't you contacted me, Naruto? I was worried sick! I was about to send an ANBU squad to look for you!"

"I… I'm sorry, Baa-chan" Naruto trembled. He had never seen her so pissed before. "I wanted to write but I was… out of action."

"What is _**that**_ supposed to mean?" Tsunade cried out. "Where's Sasuke?"

"Shower…"

"_What?_"

"He's in the shower" Naruto mumbled, envying his son's luck.

The Hokage was about to yell at Naruto a bit more when she finally noticed the three ninja in his kitchen. Three ninja that she believed were on vacation.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" she cried out. "I ordered you not to look after Naruto! Why are you three here?"

"Huh…" Yamato mumbled, sweat rolling down his forehead.

"You guys have a lot of explaining to do" Naruto said, walking backwards to the door. "I'm gonna check on Sasuke. I don't want him to drown."

As he ran up the stairs, leaving his teammates to their fate, Naruto heard a huge crashing sound.

"There goes the kitchen table…" the blond muttered.

When he entered the bathroom, Sasuke was about to get out of the tub and immediately sat in the water, hiding his groin with his hands.

"Dad! Can't you knock?" the boy cried, blushing.

"Oh, please! I gave you a bath last night and you had… a lot more in your joy department" the blond said.

"Joy department?" the boy asked, confused. A second later, they heard raised voices coming from downstairs followed by the sound of broken glass. "Baa-chan is here already?"

"Yeah…"

"Why is she destroying our kitchen?"

"To punish me" Naruto said. "And she's scolding Kakashi-sensei and the others."

"Why?"

"Because they tracked us down behind her back, she's really crossed. She's going to yell for a while, so… take a long, long bath, son."

"But I'm finished! I was about to get dressed!"

"Then take another bath!" Naruto cried out. "When you're done, I'll take a one as well. Then we could remodel the bathroom, these tiles look a bit worn-out."

Sighing, Sasuke opened the hot water again. By the sound of the Hokage's voice, he knew they were going to be stuck there for a while.

* * *

**Naruto, you wuss! I can't blame you though.**

**Not very long, I know. But if I made it longer, I couldn't update in about a month or two.**

**I hope you liked it. See ya!**


	63. The End of All Lies

**Hello! Apparently the world is still here (I saw the 2012 movie, so I was uneasy I'll admit!). I'm sorry for the long update but not only I've been busier than ever, but I've suffered a bad case of writer's block. **

**Also, I've began reading another series and I can't focus on a Naruto fanfic while I'm thinking about **_**Batman: Under the Red Hood**_**. Dear Lord, what a great movie! Go watch it if you haven't already! Jason Todd is my favorite Robin, period! Jensen Ackles can dub.**

**Enough rambling, here's the chapter. Like always, I hope you like it.**

* * *

**The End of All Lies**

すべての終わりが嘘 _(Subete no owari ga uso)_

Naruto had been right on one thing, Tsunade was furious. Long gone were his kitchen's table and half of the cupboards. Not even the fridge had survived her wrath, let alone Kakashi, Sai and Yamato's bruised bodies.

Fortunately, by the time Naruto returned to the kitchen with his son in his arms, the blonde Hokage was too exhausted to yell at him.

"Just tell me what the hell happened" Tsunade sighed, sitting in one of the remaining chairs.

Both Naruto and Sasuke told her everything they knew and Kakashi explained how he deduced that both Naruto and Tsunade had been lying about Sasuke's death and finally revealed how Shikamaru "hinted" about their location.

"Shikamaru _**told you**_?" the Hokage hissed.

The blond Genin lowered his head and stared at Sasuke, who had finally fallen asleep in his lap. "I should have known… He was worried about Sasuke and he talked to me after his birthday party, but I didn't listen. I guessed he thought I needed help."

"He talked to me about that too, but that didn't give him the right to disobey my orders and betray your secret" Tsunade said, frowning.

"I'm glad he did though" Naruto said, surprising everyone. "Sensei and the others helped me and Sasuke. It also made me think about the whole point of the secret, Baa-chan."

"What do you mean?"

Naruto stroked his son's black hair and pulled him closer to his chest. "I knew the consequences of keeping this secret and I know I can't hide it forever. Hell, it seems that more and more people keep finding it out and… I not sure this is worth it."

"What are you saying, Naruto? You want to tell everybody the truth? After all the trouble we had?" Tsunade asked, worry tangible in her words. "If people find out that not only Sasuke was alive this whole time but that you deliberately lied to everyone to protect him, you'll both be deemed as traitors along with the people who already know the secret. I honestly don't think it's a good idea to reveal the truth now."

"I'm not saying that I want everybody to know the truth! I was talking about my friends!" Naruto answered, baffling every single person in his ruined kitchen. "My team, my teachers, my comrades… they're the ones who know me and Sasuke the best. I thought that if I just asked them for time and privacy that they would respect my wishes, but I was wrong" he looked at Kakashi's serious face. "They know I wouldn't stay away from Konoha for so long, even if I have a child. In normal circumstances, I'd take my son to my village and raise him there, not hide him from everyone I care about like he was some dirty secret. I was wrong to underestimate my friends' way of thinking, I know that now. Just as I know that, eventually, they will find me and Sasuke unless they know why I can't return yet."

There was an awkward silence as Naruto's words started to sink in. Tsunade rubbed her forehead and stared at Sasuke's sleeping, little body. She had grown into loving the boy more than she had ever expected. Before she knew it, she felt as protective of him as Naruto and she knew that Shizune, Iruka and Team 10 felt the same way. When her brown eyes met Naruto's blue ones under the candid light, she already knew what he wanted her to do.

* * *

Sasuke woke up early in his bedroom. He didn't remember falling asleep, though he did remember how sleepy he felt when his Dad was talking to Tsunade. He probably had dozed off.

Swiftly, the raven boy got dressed, washed his face and ran down the stairs wondering how they were going to prepare their meals now that the kitchen was gone. However, before he had time to even finish his thoughts, Sasuke stopped by door frame and his mouth dropped with awe.

The kitchen had been rebuilt! The cupboards and the table were there again and even the wholes on the wall when his father had thrown that asshole out of the house were repaired. The only thing missing was the fridge.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" Naruto asked, walking towards the baffled boy.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked.

"Yamato-Taichō can create and control wood. He fixed the kitchen" the blond parent explained. "When we were on missions, he literally created a house for us to sleep in during the night. I wish you had seen him do it, but I didn't want to wake you up."

"Don't worry, Naruto. He'll have plenty of opportunities to see him work" a young man's voice said behind.

When Sasuke turned around, he instantly frowned and his lips thinned into a pale line.

"What are _**you**_ still doing here?" the boy asked harshly.

Apparently, Sai didn't notice Sasuke's loathing or had simply decided to ignore it as he walked towards him with his shit-eating smile on his face.

"Well… I see someone is grumpy this morning" Sai said as if he was dealing with a toddler. "Didn't your father teach you to be polite to your elders, Sasuke-chan?"

"Who are you calling Sasuke-chan, you douche?" the boy hissed, his cheeks red with fury.

Naruto sighed. "Sai… knock it off."

"Why? I spent all night thinking about knew nicknames for the little guy" the ANBU continued, seemingly oblivious. However, Naruto wasn't sure if Sai knew exactly what he was doing and just wanted to finally piss off Sasuke. "What about Chibi Sasuke-chan? Or Chibi Sasu-chan?"

The vein pulsing on Sasuke forehead was getting bigger with each nickname and his hands turned into shaking fists. It would look cute and funny if Naruto didn't know how powerful his son still was.

"I know! Su-chan! It's perfect for you" Sai went on, reaching to stroke Sasuke's hair.

The raven's hand grabbed the older man's wrist before he could touch him and glared at Sai's smiling face with enough anger to burn a hole through his skull.

"Choose between Su-chan and your throat. You can't have both" Sasuke threatened, looking surprisingly terrifying for a seven year old.

Even though his wrist was aching like hell, Sai kept smiling. "Big words for a little brat. I wish I could fight you, but I don't hit children."

"It's alright. I don't mind hitting adults" Sasuke hissed before he kicked Sai in the stomach.

The ANBU was able to block the next two blows when Naruto finally intervened and stood in their middle. "That's enough! No more fighting in this house."

"He started it!" Sasuke pouted.

"I don't care! I'm ending it" Naruto said. "You shouldn't lose your temper so easily, Sasuke. And Sai… stop taunting my son or I'll make sure your smile has a few holes in it, got it?"

With a chuckle, Sai crossed his arms over his chest. "Very well, Naruto. I was just kidding."

"You're not that funny, Sai."

Despite Sasuke's glaring, the three ate their breakfast together. Every time Naruto turned his back, both Sai and Sasuke took advantage to mumble insults at each other and the blond could only roll his eyes and pretend he didn't know.

By the time Sasuke finished eating, he felt like kicking someone. His mood only got worse when Yamato and Kakashi entered the kitchen like the lived there and took food from the cupboard.

"What are they still doing here?" the boy cried out.

"Manners" Naruto said, slapping Sasuke in the back of the head. "Kakashi-sensei and the others are helping me fix the kitchen and they're paying for the new fridge."

Sasuke lowered his eyes. He didn't even try to hide that he wanted them out of his house so he and his Dad could go back to their normal lives. He felt guilty every time he looked at them, especially Kakashi. He knew his old sensei was angry at him for all the horrible things he had done in his past life, so he kind of wished he would leave.

"I'm going to take a walk, Tou-chan" the raven boy said, purposely looking at Naruto and ignoring the other shinobi. "I'll be back for lunch."

Naruto noticed the sad and uncomfortable expression in his son's eyes and nodded. "Be careful."

Without looking back, Sasuke ran to the front door, put on his sandals and ran into the streets. The sun was barely out and the island was still cold and silent, which was just what Sasuke wanted.

"_I'm not running away. I'm not running"_ the boy thought. _"Those ninja… they don't like me, so I'm not coming home until they're gone." _

When he was at a safe distance from his house, the raven slowed down and walked by the beautiful mansions of the samurai's families. He supposed his classmates were as happy as he was for finally getting their parents back and growing down to normal and he wondered when they would be able to take the kenjutsu exam again.

Honestly, he couldn't wait to graduate so he could officially use _Kizuna_ as a real swordsman. Though his memories of the previous two weeks were still foggy in his mind, he remembered brandishing his chokutō like it was another extension of his body, just like Masamune-sama had told them.

Plus, he couldn't wait to beat Riku's sorry ass again. Sasuke was the Islands hero now. No one was gonna call him _"second best"_ ever again!

As if by fate, Sasuke heard his rival's voice. At first, the raven Uzumaki thought he was hearing things, until he heard Riku yell again. Slowly, he walked towards the voice and stopped near a iron gate of the biggest mansion he had ever seen. As he looked closer, he saw the Sanada Family Crest on the gate and looked up towards the beautiful garden.

Riku (no surprise) was a kid again. The Sanada heir was training in his garden with a sword and Sasuke's eyes widened when he saw the bright reflection of the sun in the metal. Riku was training with a real sword!

With a grin filled with confidence, Riku bended his knees and the cut off the five targets in less than fifteen seconds. Sasuke couldn't help but gaze at his mastery of the sword, while his inside turned with jealousy.

"Do you want a chair?" Riku said out loud, slowly turning to face Sasuke with a satisfied smile on his lips. "Good morning! Did you come to see how it's done?"

Cursing his pale skin, Sasuke blushed. "Don't get cocky! In case you forgot, I kicked your butt the last time we fought!"

"Hmpf" the silver haired boy huffed. "**That** didn't count. Just because you defeated me when we were both under some stupid spell, that doesn't mean you're stronger. You got lucky, that's all!"

"What?" the raven hissed. "I won! Fair and square! You're just being a sore loser!"

"Really? Then what was the deal with those multi-colored eyes of yours?"

Sasuke's face went from angry to shaken in a matter of seconds. "What…?"

"Don't even lie. I saw your eyes change color and you got faster when it happened" Riku asked, moving towards his classmate. "What was that? Did Nobunaga give you superpowers?"

"It's none of your business!" Sasuke yelled.

"All that yelling will wake up the neighbors, you know?"

Both children blinked at the sound of a man's voice and their eyes widened when they saw Kakashi standing on top of the wall that surrounded the Sanada Mansion.

"Kakashi-san… right?" Riku asked, searching for the ninja's name in his blurred memory.

"That's correct. It's nice to see you again, Riku" Kakashi answered, his eye focusing on Riku and then Sasuke's face, who immediately looked away.

"I'm out of here!" the raven said, running to the forest next to the Sanada Mansion while Riku and Kakashi watched.

"Were you following him?" Riku finally asked.

"Yes" the shinobi answered, facing the boy's serious face. Riku was smart and strong, no doubt he would make a great leader. Personally, Kakashi would like to have him in Konoha.

"You heard us talk then" the Sanada went on.

"I did. I understand that you feel curious about Sasuke's eyes, but I would like to ask you, as a ninja from Konohagakure, not to mention it to anyone" Kakashi said, watching Riku's face carefully.

Riku shrugged. "I wasn't going to. By the way, how is Naruto-Nii-san?"

"Completely healed. I know Naruto would like to thank you personally for all your help. You should come by his house."

"Maybe I will… later. When Sasuke isn't there being a pain in the neck."

Kakashi's lips curved under his mask and he looked at the forest were his former student had run to. He could hardly believe this kid was the same Sasuke he had trained or the criminal he had chased for so long. Honestly, he didn't know how to feel about the boy or how to act around him anymore.

Riku followed his stare and sighed. "He told me about his past too. I know he used to be an adult. Don't worry. I'm not going to tell anyone that either."

Without another word, the Sanada went back into his house.

* * *

Sasuke knew that running was pretty useless, but he kept doing it anyway. He ran down the forest until he found the river and he only stopped near a three that he recognized. Panting, the child drank from the stream and sat against the stem, listening to his pounding heart.

Kakashi was following him, the question was why. Sasuke knew that the white-haired ninja didn't like him and that he was mad. He guessed he had the right to be after what Sasuke had done, but that didn't make it any easier.

It wasn't like he could just ask Kakashi to forget his older self and pretend that Sasuke was brand new. Not even his father was able to do that. Naruto said that he had never hated Sasuke; even if he was the person he hurt the most. Daddy loved him and forgave him, but that made the raven feel even guiltier.

Lately, Sasuke could only feel fear, shame and guilt and he knew there was nothing he could do to change it. If there was a way he could go into the past to stop his elder self, he would do it. If there was a Kinjutsu that could erase everyone's minds about his other life and remember him only as Uzumaki Sasuke, he would learn it.

But there wasn't a way to change the past or make everybody forget it. Sasuke was stuck with it. He couldn't lie to himself anymore because it wasn't a mistake or a misunderstanding. Sasuke had never been a good ninja. He had been one of the bad guys. A traitor…

"_What if… I become bad again? What if I can't change?"_ the boy though, pulling his knees to his chest and staring at the shining water of the river.

This time, Sasuke heard the footsteps of an adult behind him but he didn't move, not even when Kakashi stood beside him. He couldn't look at him. He didn't want to see the anger and disappointment that he had seen yesterday before Tou-chan took him away.

After ten minutes of silence, Kakashi sighed and put his hands leisurely on his pockets.

"We would have to talk sooner or later, Sasuke" the Copy Ninja said, staring at the boy's head.

Sasuke hugged himself tighter and refused to look at the man. "There's nothing to talk."

"I don't think so. For seven years, I thought you were dead and now I find out this whole… situation. I wasn't expecting it."

"That's not my fault" the boy regretted those words the minute they left his mouth. He had no right to talk about fault.

"You're right. I understand that you didn't know about your past. Naruto was trying to protect you" Kakashi said evenly. "Still, it was a shock."

Sasuke felt like running away again. He didn't this man to tell him why he hated him. He didn't want to hear him. He wanted his Dad. Nonetheless, he stayed still because he knew he couldn't run forever. It wasn't right.

"I know you were my sensei and that I really hurt you when I left" the child mumbled, feeling a lump growing in his throat. "I'm not going to ask you to forgive me, but I really am sorry. Please don't get Tou-chan into trouble because of me."

Kakashi lifted his eyebrows. For a long time, he imagined how he would react if Sasuke came back to the village and asked for forgiveness. A part of him desperately wanted to welcome him back, while the other part felt like yelling and hit him for all the pain he had caused.

But this kid didn't remember his crimes. This Sasuke was the child he should have been if his clan hadn't been wiped out. He wasn't broken or twisted by hatred yet and, despite everything, Kakashi wouldn't allow him to know that sort of pain again. He wished he had never known it in the first place.

"Trust me, I would never hurt Naruto" Kakashi finally answered. "You really love him, don't you?"

The boy nodded and dared looking at the man's face, his eyes burning.

"I wish… I wish he was really my dad. I don't want to have a past life. I don't wanna be a bad guy" Sasuke's voice quivered. "I wish I could just be _**me**_."

Embarrassed, the raven boy buried his face in his knees and tried to choke his sobs and hide his tears from Kakashi. The latter, on the other hand, kept staring at the shaking child and waited until he calmed down.

"We all have done something in our past that we wish we could undo, but we can't and we need to learn how to live with the consequences" the Copy Ninja said. "It's difficult and painful… but it's not impossible."

Sasuke lifted his head and rubbed his teary eyes before staring at Kakashi. "Do you mean it?"

"Yes" Kakashi wasn't as forgiving as Naruto. He knew it would take time for him to stop expecting this Sasuke to betray them, especially since he still didn't know the whole truth. "Sometimes you can only say you're sorry, even if doesn't change anything."

Sasuke seemed to ponder on those words for a while before standing up and staring at Kakashi in the eyes with as much humbleness as a seven year old cold muster.

"I'm so sorry, Sensei."

Kakashi's black eye widened in shock and his hands fell limp against his body.

"Can I still call you that?" Sasuke asked.

The Copy Ninja was glad to have a mask on in his face as his lips curved into a small smile. "Yes. I guess you can, Sasuke. Now let's go back to your house before Naruto gets worried. You have a very protective father."

"Yeah" Sasuke muttered.

While they walked quietly towards the Mansion, Kakashi couldn't help but feel that he was finally welcoming Sasuke home. More extraordinary, it had been Sasuke, whose pride had been as important as his life that had extended the olive branch.

Maybe, just maybe, there was still hope.

* * *

Tsunade had called the Konoha 11 and their respective sensei to her office in secrecy. The room had been protected with every seal she knew so they wouldn't be heard or disturbed. Once she got everyone's attention, she made herself clear that what she was about to tell them could never leave that office. It was a secret that could destroy the lives of people they cared about and bring war upon both Konoha and Suna.

The Hokage switched glances with Team 10, who instantly realized what she was about to tell the rest of their comrades. Choji and Shikamaru kept their heads up and waited for the revelations to begin, while Ino looked sadly at Sakura.

"Shishou… I don't understand" Sakura asked. She knew Tsunade only had that look on her face when she was about to tell them something bad or hurtful, or both. "What is this all about?"

Tsunade stared at her pupil, knowing damn well what her words would do, but the time had finally come. It was time to end all the lies and secrets, beginning with the biggest of them all.

"Sasuke is alive."

* * *

**I know… cliffy… **

**One of the reasons I did this was because having Naruto explain his secret every time a friend found out was too repetitive in my opinion. It worked fine for a few characters, but unless they all found Sasuke and/or Naruto at the same time, I believe it's getting a bit cyclic and boring (I want this story to be anything BUT boring). **

**I can only hope you guys understand and, maybe, like it nevertheless. Also, Sasuke called Kakashi "Sensei". What do you feel about it?**

**See ya. **

**Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!**


	64. Blood Tears

**Hi! Happy 2013!**

**It's getting harder and harder to update, College life is busier than ever. Still, I hope you guys don't feel disappointed with this chapter.**

**I hope you like it!**

* * *

**Blood Tears**

血の涙 (_Chi no namida_)

Who are you without your memories? If you don't remember who you used to be, the people who you hated, the people who you loved… it's not you anymore.

Sakura couldn't take her eyes off Tsunade as she told them how Sasuke had been with Naruto all this time after being hit by an age regression Kinjutsu which also erased all his memory. The young medic-nin didn't say a word while her master explained that the Kinjutsu was irreversible and that Naruto had finally decided to raise the boy as his own son in secret, away from Konoha and his friends… to protect him.

"Bullshit!" Sakura yelled, her right fist crashing the nearby wall.

Tsunade didn't move, but her eyes were sad. "I know this is hard to hear, Sakura…"

"You don't know anything!" Sakura cried out, angry tears behind her green eyes. "You had no right to keep this from me! Naruto had no right to _**lie!**_"

The rest of the young ninja were as stunned by the revelation as Sakura was, but they didn't share her anger or outrage. How could they? Sasuke had been a traitor in their minds for far too long and he wasn't in their team. Only Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi had felt the full pain of his defection and descent to madness. Team 7 had been the one who fought and longed for his return and the one whose hearts had been crushed into pieces when they realized that Sasuke was never coming back as the teammate they loved but as someone else completely different wearing his face.

Just like he was now.

"Sakura… Please, try to understand Naruto's point of view. He just wanted to keep Sasuke-kun safe" Ino said softly, her gaze never leaving Sakura's furious face.

"You _knew_" the pink-haired young woman hissed, her fists trembling and hot tears streaming down her flushed face.

"Yes" the blonde Yamanaka answered, trying not to show how guilty she felt. "I… we found them by accident. We saw Naruto and… and Sasuke-kun. He was happy, Sakura. I had never seen Sasuke-kun happy before. Naruto just wanted to protect him from those who could hurt him, that was all."

"Hurt him? Was I one of those people, Ino? Did Naruto think that I could hurt Sasuke-kun? Was that why he kept me in the dark like I meant nothing?"

"No! Of course not! Naruto knows how you feel about Sasuke-kun. He wanted to protect you too…"

"I DON'T NEED TO BE PROTECTED!" Sakura yelled. "Naruto had no right to keep what happened to Sasuke-kun from me. He didn't have the right to tell me that Sasuke-kun was dead while he ran away with him! Who does he think he is?"

No one dared to answer Sakura, though both Hinata and Ino tried to comfort her. They stopped when the medic-nin glared at them.

"Naruto should have brought Sasuke-kun home… we could have tried to find a way to turn him back into normal."

"Sakura…" Tsunade whispered.

"Stop saying my name like that!" the young woman cried out. "Stop acting like I'm an idiot who doesn't understand a thing! I'm not an idiot!"

Tsunade's brown eyes widened before she nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry. No one thinks you're an idiot. It's just that Naruto thought the same way as you. He tried to find a way to turn Sasuke back, but when he found out that he couldn't, he learned how to live with the boy. He fell in love with him and he became his father. I know this is hard to hear, but his decision to raise Sasuke had nothing to do with you. Naruto did what he thought was best for Sasuke. He never meant to hurt you."

Sakura glared at the Hokage, trying as hard as she could not to break down in front of everyone. She walked towards Tsunade and kicked the metal door of the room open, before running out into the dark.

She heard her friends calling her name and Tsunade telling them to give her some space. Though her master had done what she wanted, Sakura didn't feel grateful. Not after Tsunade had lied to her all this years. How could she look at Sakura in the eyes all those times she went to her office, begging for news about Naruto, and not say anything?

_It had nothing to do with you._

It had always been like that. No matter how many times she tried to convince herself otherwise, she always knew on the back of her mind that she was Team 7 weakest link. She was the helpless little girl who could never save the day, but needed rescuing all the damn time. No matter how hard she trained, she would never be on Naruto's or Sasuke's level. She always stayed behind.

She thought Naruto trusted her, but she had been dead wrong. Tsunade and the others could say whatever they thought, but it all came down to this. Naruto didn't trust her enough to tell her what happened to Sasuke, just like Sasuke didn't think of her when he left the village or when he tried to kill her twice.

Like Tsunade said, it had nothing to do with her. Naruto and Sasuke were all that mattered. Sakura was just a secondary, irritating character in the story of their lives.

Unsure of where she was, Sakura finally slowed down and leaned against a three. As soon as the first sob came out of her mouth, she finally broke.

Naruto's intentions had failed miserably, she was hurt. Hurt because of Naruto's betrayal, because she had been lied to and because, despite all that was said, Sasuke… **her Sasuke** was still gone. She didn't know who that boy that was living with Naruto was, but it wasn't the teammate she had fallen in love with.

Naruto had promised to bring Sasuke back so they all could be together again. In the end, Naruto had kept Sasuke to himself and any chance they had to turn back into what they were was lost with that decision.

Too tired to be angry, Sakura fell on her knees and hugged herself tight as if trying to prevent her heart from breaking anymore. She cried in the middle of the woods all night, her mind holding to the precious memories of the boy she loved and which she was the only one to keep.

* * *

_Unmei Island _

In the next days, the islanders' lives slowly went back to normal. The damages were repaired, families got together, the samurai went on missions, the fishermen went finishing on their boats and the merchants reopened their stores.

Soon, the Islands were buzzing with life and activity as everyone tried to forget Nobunaga's curse. Still, there were things that no one should ever forget.

Sasuke made sure everyone knew about Muramasa-sama sacrifice and he even went to talk to Shigeru in person. The Sanada Family declared the deceased swordsmith a hero and arranged a proper funeral for him.

Muramasa's old house was burned in a solemn ceremony and a statue was built in its place, where people from every rank came to pay their respects to the kind man, leaving flowers and prayers.

Sasuke tried as hard as he could not to cry during the funeral. He and his father were on the front row, dressed entirely in black and holding a white lily to put on the statue's feet. The raven child had also brought his chokutō, _Kizuna_. It was the last sword Muramasa had worked on and Sasuke had never thanked him for his wonderful work or his help.

Naruto placed a warm hand on his son's shoulder when he saw the sword shake on his trembling hands. Before the funeral, the blond had told him that it was alright to cry and that Sasuke had nothing to be ashamed of. Muramasa had been proud of the way he had used his sword to save the islanders' lives. However, Sasuke didn't think it was enough; he wanted to thank the swordsmith.

"It's time" Naruto whispered, gently pushing Sasuke towards the statue. "You can do this."

With his eyes burning, Sasuke followed the old lady that known Muramasa for years and was responsible for the speech. Thankfully, Sasuke didn't have to make a speech. The old lady introduced him briefly to the huge crowd and told them about Muramasa's last sword, while the boy stood quietly by her side with his cheeks flushed and his eyes bright with unshed tears.

He saw Kakashi, Yamato and Sai on the row behind Naruto and he glanced at a very serious Riku on the other side. Then, Sasuke decided to keep staring at his father's blue eyes and remembered why he had fought so hard to end the Sleeping Curse. Tou-chan was fine now; he was safe because Muramasa-sama had helped him end the nightmare before dying with a smile on his face. The boy hoped he could be as brave.

Sasuke turned to the statue of the man he had known for only a few hours, kneeled and raised _Kizuna_ in front of him.

"Thank you, Muramasa-sama" the boy said, looking at the statue's eyes. "I'll never forget you."

When the funeral ended, Sasuke held his father's hand as they walked slowly towards their home.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked, staring at the child's tearful face.

Sasuke nodded and wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his other hand, which was still grasping _Kizuna_.

"I just… I wish I had said more" the boy muttered.

Naruto pulled his son closer and stroked his back. "You said what was in your heart, which was more than enough. I bet Muramasa-sama would agree with me."

The boy felt like crying again, so he buried his face on his Dad's shirt. He wished he could jump to his lap, but they were surrounded by too many people. Sasuke still had a reputation to keep and no self deserving, future ninja would cry on his father's shoulder like a baby.

"Naruto-Nii-san!"

Sasuke stiffened at the sound of the voice and he jumped away from his father only to glare at the silver-haired prick that was blocking their way.

"Riku!" Naruto said cheerfully. "It's good to see you!"

Sasuke glared at his smiling Dad. What was good about seeing that asshole?

"I wanted to talk to you again after you got your memories back" Riku answered with a smile of his own. "I'm glad you're alright, Nii-san."

"_**Nii-san?"**_ Sasuke cried out, completely outraged.

"Thanks. I wanted to talk to you too" Naruto went on, ignoring Sasuke's furious stare. "I wanted to thank you for all that you've done and for helping Sasuke out."

Sasuke frowned and did his best not to pout, though he really felt like kicking Naruto.

"It was nothing. I'm just glad that you're alright" Riku said, secretly enjoying seeing Sasuke so mad. It was fun.

"What about you? Are things better at home?"

Riku blinked and he looked behind to where his father and grandmother were talking to some family friends. In the last few days, he and his father had talked more than in the last seven years. He had learned more about Hatori and he had even entered his bedroom and seen his photo album. It wasn't that all his jealously had suddenly disappeared but, at least, Riku didn't think he hated him anymore.

"It's getting better" the young Sanada said. "Thank you. See you soon, Nii-san and kick Sasuke's butt when he's rude!"

"What?" Sasuke yelled, but Riku turned around and ran towards his family while Naruto laughed like an idiot. "Stop laughing, usuratonkashi! What was he talking about? And why are you being so nice to that moron?"

Naruto patted his grumpy son in the head, still chuckling. "What? I like Riku. I think he's a gutsy kid."

"No, he's not! He's a stupid asshole who thinks he's better than me! You can't like him."

Naruto raised a blond eyebrow. "So… what are you saying? I can't like him because you don't like him?"

Sasuke opened his mouth but closed it immediately, blushing.

"That's it! You're jealous" the blond teased.

"No, I'm not!" the raven yelled, pouting all the way home.

* * *

Hours later, after eating dinner, Tsunade showed up at the house to take Kakashi and the others home. Naruto felt slightly sad, he was going to miss having them around in this big house. The bright side was that Kakashi and Sasuke were finally getting along and the Copy Ninja had already asked Naruto if he wanted him to help training Sasuke. The young man accepted the offer. Kakashi was the only one who could help Sasuke train his Sharingan and he wanted them to bond again.

"Naruto…" Tsunade whispered, her brown her serious but worried.

Getting the hint, the blond turned to his son. "Go brush your teeth, Sasuke. Baa-chan is going to check up on you upstairs."

The boy, who was helping Yamato wash the dishes, grimaced. "Again? But I'm fine, Tou-chan!"

"I want her to check your eyes" Naruto said. "They've been hurting, right? She's just going to see them."

"Oh… Fine" Sasuke answered, cleaning his wet hands. "See you guys later."

After Sasuke ran up the stairs, Naruto face his Hokage with a sad expression. "You told them."

"Yes. I told your comrades the truth last night."

Naruto nodded, knowing what was to come. "How is Sakura-chan?"

Tsunade sighed and rubbed her forehead. "She… didn't take it very well. She was very angry… and upset."

The blond looked down. It wasn't like he didn't expect it. He knew from the moment he adopted Sasuke that his actions were going to hurt Sakura, even though he was also trying to protect her from the heartbreak he went through. Naruto remembered those feelings of loss and disappointment too well.

Even though he would never change the past now, Naruto remembered how he tried so hard to find a way to revert Sasuke to normal, how he searched for the slightest sign that his best friend was still inside that gurgling baby and the sorrow he felt when he realized the Uchiha Sasuke he knew wasn't there anymore. It felt like his best friend had died.

How would Sakura feel? How would she deal with the fact that the young man she loved for years was gone?

"I never meant to hurt her" the blond shinobi said softly. "Not then, not ever."

"I know. We all know that, but I don't believe that matters to Sakura" Tsunade answered, crossing her arms over her chest. "She's angry because you didn't tell her sooner and because she believes that you didn't think enough of her to tell her the truth in the first place."

"That's not it! It wasn't like that at all!" Naruto shouted. "I wanted to protect my son and I didn't want to make her suffer."

"I know, that's what Ino and the others also tried to explain to her, but Sakura is too distraught right now."

Naruto sat on a chair and rubbed his forehead. He felt Kakashi move to his side and place a hand on his shoulder.

"Sakura will be fine. She just needs some time to think this through" his sensei said. "She'll come around."

Naruto nodded, though his chest felt crushed by guilt.

* * *

Sasuke had just finished brushing his teeth when his eyes started hurting again. He was pretty used to these eye aches, so he waited until the pain subsided so he could go to his room and dress his pajamas. However, this time the pain didn't stop and the itching was getting worse.

The boy groaned and rubbed his eyes with both hands, pleading mentally for the pain to go away. It felt like hours when he finally tried to wash his eyes with some water, to see if that would help.

Painfully, he opened his eyelids. His vision was so blurry that he couldn't even make out his face in the mirror and it was getting harder and harder to see.

"Dad… Dad!" Sasuke whimpered, feeling a tear run down his cheek into the white sink.

Except, when he glanced at the sink he saw something red. There was a red liquid dripping to the sink from his face. They were his tears. He was crying blood.

"DADDY! DADDY!"

Sasuke slowly fell on his knees, sobbing and screaming at the same time. He barely heard the sound of hurried footsteps and he didn't see his father kneeling in front of him, with his blue eyes terrified at the sight of his bloodied face. The only thing he felt were his arms wrapped around him as he cried.

"What happened, Sasuke?" Naruto cried out, touching his son's face, looking for an injury. "Where does it hurt?"

Sasuke stared at Naruto, though his eyes hurt more than ever. He saw his Daddy's face blur until he only saw darkness.

"I'm blind… Daddy, I'm blind" the boy sobbed, before throwing himself into his father's arms and burying his blood-spattered face into his chest.

In the agonizing minutes that followed, Sasuke reluctantly let go of Naruto's shirt and Tsunade was finally able to wash the blood from his face and stop the hemorrhage from his eyes.

Crying desperately and refusing to let go of his father's hand, Sasuke told the Hokage about the occasional pain he felt in his eyes ever since he defeated Nobunaga. He asked if it had been his fault because he had used his Sharingan during the battle, but the medic-nin assured him that couldn't be the reason.

"Did something happen? Something strange?" Tsunade asked, but the child only cried harder. "Sasuke… I know you're scared, but I promise I'll do everything I can to help, okay? Please, try to think."

Sasuke sniffed and he felt Naruto's hand grab him harder. He wanted this to be a nightmare, it wasn't fair! He already went through so much. Why couldn't he be a normal kid? Why did he have to pay for being a bad person in his other life?

"Nothing happened! I fought, that's all! I think I was unconscious for a little while because I had a dream about a giant fox that talked, but I woke up fine!"

Tsunade and Naruto exchanged surprised glances before Naruto went to his subconscious to face Kurama.

_"What did you do?"_ the blond hissed at his Tailed Beast.

**"I didn't hurt the brat, if that's what you're implying"** Kurama said, his voice filled with defiance.** "You were dying and the kid was losing. If you both died, that would have been the end of all of us, so I gave him a bit of chakra."**

_"You sent him chakra? How is that possible?"_

**"I didn't know if it could be done. I tried to make contact with him, through your blood in his veins. It worked because I managed to send him enough chakra to make him win the fight. I had no idea it could blind him!"**

Naruto nodded, but he didn't spare any more words on Kurama. Even though he knew the fox had saved his son's life, Naruto was currently too worried to thank him, let alone forget what the side effects could have caused him.

Back in the outside world, Naruto nodded at Tsunade and mouthed "Kurama did it."

"That explains it" the Hokage answered. "I was surprised because I felt your chakra and Sasuke's chakra boiling up inside both eyes. The transplant probably had some effect on it too."

Naruto's eyes widened, while Sasuke pulled his sleeve.

"What transplant? What are you talking about?" the boy asked. "Am I blind? Is that it? I'm never going to see again?"

"Easy" Tsunade whispered gently. "I told you I'm gonna do everything to make you better. You're lucky because I'm the best there is. So, please, try to stay calm. Can you do that, Sasuke? It will help."

Because he wanted to see again, because he was so scared and desperate, Sasuke nodded and went back into his Daddy's comforting embrace. He didn't need to see him, he knew that there was no safer place in the world right now.

Tsunade stared at the crying child before facing his terrified parent, who was staring at her with tearful, pleading eyes. She had seen that look on so many of her patients and their loved ones.

"Sasuke needs to be seen by expert medic-nins" she said. "We need to stabilize the chakra in his eyes and I can't do it in these Islands. We need a shinobi hospital."

Naruto blinked and his hands pulled Sasuke closer against his body. He knew what Tsunade meant and the risks it bore for everyone. But, one glance at his wounded baby and Naruto's doubts vanished.

"We'll go" Naruto said.

Five minutes later, the group landed on the Hokage's office. After seven years, Naruto had returned to Konoha with Sasuke.

* * *

**Sakura was angry, but that was to be expected, right? I tried to put myself on the skin of the characters and I must admit I would feel very upset to be left aside like that. Sakura is focusing on her anger against Naruto before the reality over what happened to the Sasuke she knew finally sinks in.**

**Poor Sasuke-chan. He really can't get a break. Don't worry, it will be okay eventually. Also, they're in Konoha! I know I said he would come back when he was 10 and I'll stick with my word. You'll see!**

**I hope you liked it.**

**See you guys later!**


	65. Doubt

**Hey! I'm not dead, though college seems to be trying to kill me.**

**Sorry for the long time it took to update but, please, don't go to my other stories and tell me what to update or to stop writing them and focus solely on this one. I write for pleasure and by telling me what to do, it starts to feel like a job.**

**I hope you like the chapter.**

* * *

**Doubt**

疑う _(__Utagau)_

For a long time, Naruto tried to imagine how it would be like to take Sasuke back to Konoha.

When he felt particularly hopeful about the future, he imagined them buying a brand new house where they would live together until Sasuke was old enough to move out and live by himself. He imagined taking his son to the Academy and celebrate his graduation like all the other parents, watching him with his Genin team, pass the Chuunin exams and become a Jōnin.

He wanted to believe in a happy future where he could watch his son grow in his village like any other child. Sometimes, that wish was so strong that he almost packed their bags and planned their return. However, reality always shattered this dream and his fear, or maybe his paranoia, about the hostility of the villagers and the other ninjas towards Sasuke, continuously made Naruto postpone their homecoming.

He could take the blame, the distrust and the accusations. Hell, if he could, Naruto would direct all the hatred they had for Sasuke towards him if it meant to spare his child. But, no matter how hard he wanted it, the blond ninja knew that was one thing he couldn't protect his son from. This was why they were heading towards a secret backdoor in the village's hospital with their faces covered with hoods, sneaking in like criminals.

"Tou-chan?" Sasuke asked, his eyes covered with bandages and a fearful expression that made Naruto's heart ache. "Where are we?"

"We're in Konoha… in the hospital" Naruto answered, trying to sound as cheerful as he could for his boy's sake. "Tsunade Baa-chan works here, you know? So we brought you here so she can take care of you better."

Sasuke's opened his mouth in awe. "We're in our village?"

Naruto had to try really hard not to let emotion slip through his voice. "Yes, we're in _**our**_ village."

The boy nodded and buried his hooded face once again on his father's shoulder. "I wish I could see it…"

"You will. Don't worry, you will."

Kakashi placed a warm hand on Naruto's shoulder and the two exchanged a meaningful gaze which required no words.

"Let's take him to the observation room" Tsunade said.

Yamato and Sai decided to wait in the lobby, while Naruto, Kakashi and Sasuke followed Tsunade through the white corridors of the hospital, avoiding looking at anyone who walked by them which, by the way, was becoming incredibly difficult as it seemed that the entire village had decided to go the hospital that night. Why couldn't they just enter one of the empty offices and treat Sasuke in secret? Naruto's heart stopped every time some random villager greeted the Hokage or simply walked too close to him.

Finally, Tsunade found the room she was looking for. They sat Sasuke in a strange chair connected to what it looked like a giant microscope and undid his bandages.

"Sasuke? I need you to open your eyes for a bit" the Hokage said softly.

"They hurt…" the boy whimpered.

"I know. I promise I'll give you a pill after I see your eyes, but you need to be brave just a bit longer, okay?"

The boy was clearly terrified, but he nodded anyway and let the medic-nin check his eyes scrupulously for half an hour without making a peep. Meanwhile, Naruto was sitting in chair next to his sensei, his mouth opening and closing like a fish as questions multiplied in his mind. Kakashi grabbed his arm and shook his head, silently telling him to be quiet and let Tsunade do her work.

Finally, Tsunade turned off the eye-microscope-thingy and put some eye-drops on the boy's eyes before bandaging them once more.

"I'm very proud of you, Sasuke" the Hokage said, patting the child's hair. "You behaved like a man."

"Thanks… but I am going to see again, Baa-chan? Can you heal me?"

Tsunade looked at Naruto who immediately walked to his son. "I think I know what happened to your eyes. There are three different kinds of chakra and DNA on them and the pressure is too much for them. If I stabilize them, your eyes will start to heal by themselves and you'll be able to see again."

"Really?" Sasuke asked with a hopeful smile on his lips before turning head towards Naruto and grabbing his coat. "Did you hear, Papa? I'm gonna see again!"

"Y-Yeah, I heard her" Naruto answered a bit relief but also worried. Tsunade's expression was still apprehensive.

"To stabilize the eyes, Sasuke will need a small surgery. It's simple, but delicate so I'll need a few hours to get everything ready. Meanwhile, Sasuke needs to spend the night here."

Naruto's blue eyes widened. "Here? In the hospital?"

"It's the only place where I can get access to to the material I need" Tsunade explained.

"What about the secret hospital for the ANBU? Couldn't you just take what you need there?"

"That would waste a lot of time and resources, Naruto. Besides, here I have more back-up from other experienced medic-nins without forcing them to leave their other patients."

"But…"

"Dad?" Sasuke asked. "What's wrong? Why don't you want me to be here?"

Naruto looked at his son and his heart dropped. He couldn't just tell him that he didn't want people to know he was there out of fear they would recognize him and try to hurt him. Sasuke was nervous enough, there was no need to make things worse and made him feel even more hated than he already did.

"I'm not worried, Sasuke" Naruto said, pulling his son close. "I just thought Baa-chan could treat you better in another hospital."

The blond helped Sasuke get up and put his hood over his face before they left the office. Tsunade was talking about getting him a private room when Sasuke started pulling Naruto's sleeve.

"Tou-chan, I need to go to the bathroom" the boy said.

Fortunately he couldn't see Naruto worried face. "What? _Now?_ We're almost in your room… can't you wait just a little longer?"

The small raven shook his head and pouted. "I've been waiting since we got here because Baa-chan wanted to see my eyes. I can't hold it anymore!"

Naruto stared at both Kakashi and Tsunade, hoping that one of them would back him up and tell Sasuke that he needed to hold it. Instead, they both shrugged and Tsunade even told him where the nearest bathroom was.

Traitors.

"Fine… Let's go" the blond said.

The bathroom was miraculously empty when they got in and Sasuke refused to let him help.

"I can't pee by myself!" the boy yelled in outrage.

"I know that. I was just trying to show you where the toilet is" Naruto answered back, earning a very angry pout from his son.

"I can find it, Dad. Blind people don't need other people showing them where the toilet is!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Alright, just… hurry up."

True to his word, and stubborn as always, Sasuke managed to find the toilet by himself, as well as the sink to wash his hands. When the bathroom door opened, Naruto swiftly covered his son's head with the hood from his coat and pulled him out of the bathroom, his heart beating hard against his chest.

Maybe if he hadn't been so worried about avoiding the old man entering the bathroom, he would have noticed the young mother and her son on the corner before slamming against her.

In slow motion, Naruto saw Sasuke lose his balance and trip on the other kid's leg. He fell on the clean, white floor and his hood slipped down his head.

Sasuke's face was uncovered in front of several people in the Hospital.

Naruto was ready to pull a kunai and step in front his son to protect him from the angry mob that would definitely try to murder him. His hand was already closed to the dagger when he felt a strong, gloved hand stop him from behind.

"Wait" Kakashi whispered so softly that Naruto barely heard him.

Slowly, he looked down at Sasuke, who was trying to stand up. The woman that he had bumped into was also staring at him, not with horror or rage. Not even recognition. Her brown eyes widened with maternal worry the moment she noticed the bandages on Sasuke's face.

"Oh! I'm so sorry… Are you alright?" she asked, kneeling in front of Sasuke while still holding her five-year-old son by the hand.

Sasuke lifted his head towards the sound of her voice and shook his head. "I'm alright."

Naruto helped him get up and Sasuke grabbed his hand.

"Well, I'm still sorry. We both are. Right, Kureno?" she turned to her child. "Apologize to Nii-chan."

The boy frowned at his mother and then at Sasuke bandages. "Why? His eyes are all covered up! It's not my fault!"

"Kureno! Those are bandages. His eyes are hurt, that's why he can't see. Apologize this instant!"

Kureno stared at Sasuke, slightly ashamed. "Sorry…"

"It's okay" Sasuke answered.

"I hope you get better soon" the mother said, smiling at Naruto and greeting the Hokage before leaving.

Tsunade walked towards Naruto and whispered in hear. "Leave his hood down."

The blond's eyes widened in shock. "What? But…"

"Just do it" she went on, her eyes unwavering.

Naruto didn't have to tell her what would happen if someone recognized Sasuke. He didn't have to remind her that not only was his son's life on the line but also her reputation for hiding an international criminal from the alliance, even if he wasn't that criminal anymore.

"Dad?"

Sasuke was pulling his shirt again, most likely wondering why they were just standing there. It broke Naruto's heart to see his little boy staring at him blindly with so much innocence on his face. He didn't want Sasuke to get hurt, but he didn't want him to spend the rest of his life hiding either.

"Let's go to your room, okay?"

The boy nodded and they continued walking down the busy corridors of the newly built hospital.

No one seemed to recognize Sasuke. Even when they stared right at his face, no one, civilian, ninja or medical staff, seemed to know who he was. Everyone paid more attention to Tsunade and Kakashi and barely noticed the blind boy and his panicky father.

The only thing Naruto could do was blend in with the crowd and pray for the best. Thankfully, Sasuke was blissfully unaware of the danger. When two nurses noticed him and pinched his cheeks, saying how cute he was, Naruto thought he was going to have a stroke while the raven just sulked and touched his swollen face with the biggest pout ever.

"Are there yet?" the boy asked for the sixth time.

"We're almost there."

"That's what you said an hour ago!"

"No, that's what I said three minutes ago."

"And we're not there yet. Can you hurry up?"

"Can you stop being a brat?"

Behind them, Kakashi chuckled.

"_Sensei!_" they hissed at the same time.

"Sorry, sorry…"

When they finally reached the room, Sasuke changed into his pajamas and crawled into the hospital bed. His surgery was scheduled in the morning and Tsunade still needed some time to get everything and everyone ready.

"Naruto, may I have a word with you?" the Hokage asked.

Sasuke looked up; he didn't want Naruto to leave him.

"I'll stay here with you, Sasuke" Kakashi said promptly. "Your father will be right back."

"That's right" Tsunade said. "I just want to talk to him for a while. He can spend the night here with you."

Sasuke nodded, though he still seemed scared about. The less he thought about his eyes and surgery, the better.

"So… I heard you want to be an ANBU" Kakashi said. "As former ANBU myself, I have to tell you that it isn't easy. Only the best shinobi can become one."

"Huh? You're an ex-ANBU?" the boy asked. "What is it like? What did you do? How did you train?"

As Kakashi entertained Sasuke with his endless stories as an ANBU, Naruto followed Tsunade to her office on the top floor of the hospital. Her desk was a mess of papers and scrolls and there were two bottles of saké hidden under a chair.

"Do you usually drink in the hospital, Baa-chan?" Naruto asked with a frown.

"Rarely and never before going to treat a patient" the blond Hokage assured him with a frown.

Naruto sighed and rubbed his temples. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude, it's just…"

"I know. You're worried and scared."

"Tell me the truth" Naruto asked, his voice failing and making him look like a boy again. "Is Sasuke going to be alright?"

Tsunade reached for Naruto hand and grabbed it. "I didn't lie, Naruto. I know what needs to be done and I'm optimistic about Sasuke's situation. That's not the reason I brought you here to talk."

Visibly relieved, Naruto let out a breath and stared at his Hokage. "Then… what do you want to talk about?"

"First of all, I wanted you to know why I told you uncover Sasuke's face" she explained. "I've wondered about it for a while… about the risk of his identity being discovered, I mean. I wanted to know how much his memory still lingers in the villagers' minds."

"It was a huge risk, Baa-chan."

"I know… However, Uchiha Sasuke left the village eleven years ago, at the age of thirteen. The last time he was seen was when he was a teenager and now he is presumed dead. If he were _'alive'_, most ninjas would expect to find a young man, not a small child."

"So… you're saying that no one will recognize him?"

"No. But those who could recognize him easily already know what happened. Sasuke wasn't exactly social, not many people knew him. If they looked at him now, some could think that he resembles Uchiha Sasuke, but that would be it. Besides, his whole DNA has changed. It is legally impossible to identify him now."

Naruto looked down, his hands curling into fists against his pants. "Still…"

"I'm not telling you to bring him back to the village right now" Tsunade went on. "I just want you to think about what I said."

Naruto nodded, but didn't meet her eyes.

"There's another thing I wanted to talk to you about" Tsunade went on. "It's about the surgery."

Naruto's eyes widened with fear once more. "What about it?"

"Like I said earlier, it's a simple surgery, but very delicate. I still need to study about it a little more, but I can't do it alone. I need the help of another medical-nin with extraordinary chakra control to stabilize Sasuke's."

The blond blinked, confused. "What about Shizune-Nee-chan?"

Tsunade rubbed her eyes and her lips thinned into a line. "She's on a mission in the Land of Lightening. She won't be here for another week and I can't just call her back. It would ruin her mission."

"But…? What are you gonna do then? Sasuke needs this surgery soon! You said it! Isn't there anyone else who can help you?"

"Yes, there is" Tsunade answer, her eyes serious and worried.

It took a few seconds for Naruto to realize who she was talking about.

"I'll go talk to her, Baa-chan" the blond said. "I own her that. It's the least I can do."

* * *

After a long day working, the only thing Sakura wanted was a warm bath; eat her favorite dish for dinner and go to sleep. So far, she had accomplish two of her goals and was about to carry out the third.

She had successfully avoided talking to her teammates during the past weeks. She didn't want their pity or talk about what happened. She knew they would come to talk to her eventually. They were her friends, despite the fact that they didn't see her point of view, or rather, they preferred Naruto's.

When she heard someone knocking on her door, Sakura sighed. Ino had tried to talk to her, but she didn't want to listen. She wasn't ready to her one of her best friends explain why she had lied to her face for years.

When the knocking didn't stop, Sakura got up. Since Ino wasn't going home so easily this time, she would have to tell her to leave. However, when she opened her door, she didn't see Ino.

There was a man on her porch. A young, blond man with blue eyes and whisker marks on his cheeks.

Sakura gaped as she stared at his face and his sad smile. For a while, she wondered if she wasn't dreaming.

"Hello, Sakura-chan."

Three seconds later, Naruto flew to the other side of the street with the strength of her punch.

"_**You**_" she mumbled, glaring at the teammate she hadn't seen for seven whole years. "I'm going to kill you, Naruto."

Naruto got up and spat blood to the ground. He didn't try to evade the punch, but he could have sworn that it was stronger than he remembered.

"I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan."

"Sorry, my ass! What are you doing here?" she roared as she grabbed the blond by the collar.

"I know I hurt you" Naruto said sadly. "I know I don't deserve to ask you to forgive me."

"You're right, you don't" Sakura answered. "Do you have any idea how it felt like be left behind by your own teammates like I meant nothing? Or to find out that you had lied for seven years? How could you this to me? Make me believe that Sasuke-kun…"

There were tears in her eyes now and she hated herself for showing that weakness. It made her even more furious to see the genuine look of sadness on Naruto's face. She didn't want to think that she had missed him too, not now.

"Sakura-chan…"

"Why are you here, Naruto? Why did you come back now?"

"Because of Sasuke" the blond answered.

Sakura's green eyes widened and her grip on his collar loosened considerably.

"He's in the hospital. He needs your help, Sakura-chan."

* * *

**Sakura reacted pretty much how you'd expect. People having been telling me on the reviews that once Sakura found out the truth, she would punch Naruto… I thought it was a good idea.**

**What do you think: should Naruto bring Sasuke back? **

**See you next time!**


	66. Collide

**Med-students have no life. No, I mean it. This was a crazy year. I didn't even have a spring break because there were always exams and papers to deliver. I can only apologize for the long wait and thank you guys for sticking to the story.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Collide**

衝突する _(Shōtotsu suru)_

Naruto could feel Sakura's gaze on his back. He didn't have to turn around and look at her to know how blank her face was or how much anger her eyes showed. He knew her and he had hurt her.

Probably, she was never going to forgive him.

After telling Sakura everything about Sasuke's condition, including his DNA changes caused by the Kinjutsu, the young medic-nin closed her eyes for a few seconds and very calmly told him to take her to the hospital so she could see Sasuke herself.

The young boy in himself wanted to ask her how she felt. How he could help and make things better, but his common sense told him to stay quiet for now since nothing he could say could change how she felt. He wasn't a kid anymore and neither was she.

Sakura followed him in complete silence through the hospital until they got to Sasuke's room. After knocking softly and announcing himself, Naruto opened the door.

Sasuke was leaning against the pillow and had kicked his sheets to the bottom of the bed while he was listening to Kakashi's stories. As Naruto entered the room, the boy sat and turned his head towards the blond's voice.

Sakura froze by the door frame, her green eyes wide and fixed on Sasuke. She looked so pale that Naruto felt the urge to ask her if she was alright, but he knew better.

"You're back," the young raven said. "What took you so long?"

Naruto thought he heard Sakura gasp.

"Sorry I'm late," Naruto walked towards Sasuke and sat in the bed next to him. It always amazed him how easy it was now to just place his hand on the raven's head and feel his little, warm body leaning against him. The awkwardness of those first days were long gone for him.

"Where were you?"

"I went to see someone who is going to help Baa-chan in your surgery tomorrow," the blond explained. "She's Baa-chan student and… she was part of Team 7. I brought her here to see you."

Sasuke looked surprised and turned his head in the doors direction, staring at Sakura without seeing her. Meanwhile, the pink-haired young woman cringed and her eyes brimmed with unshed tears. Her hands would be shaking if she didn't clench them into fists.

"Hello," her voice was even and strong, with no traces of the emotional turmoil inside her.

"Hello," Sasuke answered. "You're… Sakura, right?"

Sakura's eyes widened and she walked slowly towards the bed, each step feeling like a mile. "Yes, that's right."

"Are you going to help me see again?"

Naruto watched as a single tear ran down Sakura's cheek and her lips curled into a smile. He didn't have to be a genius to know how much it touched her to hear Sasuke ask for her help and making her feel that he needed her. He also could see as clearly as day how much she was longing for him to remember her and give her some sort of sign that this jutsu could be reversible and things could change back into what they were before their team broke apart. He knew that better than anyone, because he had felt the same way for many months.

However, Naruto realized that it had been different for him. With Sasuke as an infant, it was easier for Naruto to stare at him and remember that this boy was basically a new person and allowed him to come with grips with his situation a lot easier. But Sakura knew _this_ Sasuke, the little seven-year-old she had crush from the Academy.

When she realized that Sasuke was gone, she was gonna be crushed.

"It's a very easy procedure," Sakura explained, now leaning over the raven, studying his features with a smile. "I'm going to see Tsunade-sama and discuss your condition with her. Everything is going to be just fine, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke nodded, though he didn't seem convinced. It was his first surgery after all. "Alright. Thanks, Sakura."

Sakura's eyes shone even more brightly. Before she started crying, she quickly said her goodbyes and left the room looking a lot lighter than she did when she entered it.

"Well… I guess I better be going too," Kakashi said. "You should get a good night's sleep, Sasuke."

The boy nodded. "Thanks… for the stories. They were interesting, sensei."

Smiling under his mask, Kakashi pat Sasuke's head playfully. "You're welcome. I'll come by tomorrow after the surgery. Goodnight you two."

Naruto couldn't help but smiling as he watched his sensei leave. It had been easier than they all thought for Kakashi to bond with Sasuke again. It gave him hope for his son's forgiveness.

"Tou-chan?" the boy reached out and pulled his shirt. His expression morphing into what he hoped to be serious and mature. "You should go to sleep too. It's been a long day."

"You're worried about me? I'm touched. But you're the one who's been yawning for the last hour."

Sasuke blushed under his bandages. "I did _**not**_. Wait… you weren't even here."

"I know you too well. Around ten, you start to get sleepy and by eleven you fall asleep on the place you're sitting in. Between that, you proudly yawn!"

"I don't! Stop laughing, usuratonkashi! And stop making fun of me!"

"I can't, sorry. Teasing you is one of the best parts of my day. Besides, I've slept for two weeks and I have a lot to catch up."

Sasuke's pout turned into a shocked expression which quickly became sadness. Naruto immediately regretted mentioning the Sleeping Curse. God knows how much pain that was causing Sasuke.

"What I mean is… I've been sorta away," the blond said softly. "I want to make up for that lost time."

The little raven raised his head and nodded slowly.

"So… What did you think of Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, glad Sasuke couldn't see his worried face.

The boy frowned. "You still call her 'Sakura-_chan'_? Aren't you too old for that?"

"First, I'm never too old for anything, smart aleck. Second, I've called her that since we we're your age, I don't see why I have to call her something else," the blond took a deep breath and stared at the night sky outside the window. "Seriously, what did you think of her?"

Sasuke looked confused at the sudden change in Naruto's voice tone.

"She's nice I guess," the raven scratched the left side of the bandages.

'_Nice', that was it. Honestly, what can Sasuke say? To him, Sakura-chan is a complete stranger,_ Naruto thought sadly. _He doesn't know her the way he did when we were a team, just like he didn't know me._

"Is she a good doctor?" the boy asked quietly, with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"The best. She and Baa-chan are the best medic-nins in the world. Sakura-chan is gonna take Tsunade Baa-chan's place when she retires as a medic-nin and she will be even better," Naruto smiled because he truly believed his former teammate's capacities and was proud of her. "Sakura-chan was always the smartest in our team. She noticed how a jutsu worked and was the first of us to climb a tree just using chakra on her feet. She's incredible."

Sasuke nodded slowly but didn't show any signs of enthusiasm. Naruto couldn't blame him, after all he had been the one who wanted to keep their past a secret. Maybe he should have talked more about Sakura so things wouldn't feel so rushed and awkward now. Maybe he should have told her the truth instead of shielding her from it.

"You should go, Dad," Sasuke said solemnly. "You need to find a place to sleep, don't you?"

"Do you want me to go?" the blond asked.

Sasuke shrugged. "I'll be fine. I'm not scared of hospitals anymore. If I can fight a crystal monster, I can sleep alone in a hospital."

Sasuke sounded convincing, but Naruto saw how he had let go of his shirt on purpose to make his point, how his lower lip trembled slightly. The kid was scared about the surgery and the possibility of becoming blind and no amount of bravado was going to hide it from his father.

"Tell me, is that bed comfy?"

Sasuke frowned. "Huh?"

"It seems really comfortable… You know, for a hospital bed," Naruto went on, eyeing the bed. "They changed the brand. The ones they had when I was here had lousy mattresses."

"Tou-chan…"

"I know you can stay here by yourself, but Baa-chan told me that parents can stay with their kids if they're under eighteen. Besides, finding a hotel this late was gonna be difficult."

Sasuke looked up, gaping a little. Then, he simply shrugged. "If you really want to stay, I guess it's alright."

_So typical, teme_, Naruto thought.

Smiling, the blond turned off the lights, took off his sandals and cloak, pulled the covers and laid down next to Sasuke. After a few minutes, the boy finally gave up his façade and hugged him tight, his tiny shoulders trembling as he cried.

"This is punishment. I'm being punished…" the boy whimpered.

"No, Sasuke. No," Naruto said stroking his hair softly. "Everything is going to be alright. You're not being punished because you did nothing wrong. You're just injured, but you'll heal like always."

"That's just it… this keeps happening. The nightmares, why you can't come home and be Hokage, why I keep hurting you, why people hate me… It's all because of what _**he**_ did."

"Sasuke…"

"I'm not him! I don't wanna be him," the boy hugged Naruto like his life depended on it. In world filled with darkness, his daddy was all he wanted. "I'm scared that if I grow up, I will turn into him. These bad things will keep happening. But I'm not him, Tou-chan. I'm sorry… I know you miss him, but I don't wanna be him. I can't. I wanna be me. Please… just tell me I can be me."

Naruto felt his own eyes burning. "You've always been you. I don't want you be anybody else."

No parent wants to see their child in pain. It's like tearing their own hearts apart and not being able to put them back until they're okay again. It was beyond frustrating knowing that he had all that power, but was useless to help Sasuke heal his eyes or ease his heart.

Sasuke's small hands grasped the blond's shirt as he buried his head on his strong chest. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Anything."

"Can we forget about my other life?" Sasuke felt Naruto tense under his arms. "Just for tonight. Can we pretend that I'm just your son?"

Slowly, Naruto kissed the top of his head. "You _**are**_ my son. I don't have to pretend. You're mine."

Smiling through his tears, Sasuke's body finally began to relax. For a while, neither of them spoke. Naruto pulled Sasuke even closer, making the boy feel very small or maybe his father was the one who was really tall and being blind made him realize that. Daddy smelled of soap, shaving cream and his own personal scent that no other adult had.

As Sasuke closed his eyes an old memory surfaced into his tired consciousness. He was really little and Papa still looked like a kid with shorter hair. They were in a place with a lot of stuff like fruits, clothes and colorful packages, probably a market or a grocery store. Sasuke wanted to grab the pretty things and take them with them, but Papa told him no, that they didn't need them and for Sasuke to hold his hand and be a good boy. However, Sasuke couldn't stop staring at the pretty things on the shelves so he let go of his father's hand again and dashed towards them.

He barely touched them when he felt strong hands grabbing him from behind and pulling him against a chest. He thought it was Daddy until he looked up and saw the face of an old woman he didn't know. She called him a name that wasn't his and started to walk away.

Sasuke panicked and began to wail and twitch, trying to break free from this stranger who wasn't his Papa. No matter how much she tried to calm him down, he didn't stop screaming for Papa. Then more strangers appeared in front of him, which made him even more scared.

Suddenly, he heard his name and saw a blond head push through the crowd and a pair of blue eyes looking right at him. Filled with happiness, Sasuke called his Daddy back and stretched his arms towards him, practically jumping into his waiting arms.

"He's mine. He's mine!" he heard Papa say, rocking him. "He's mine. Mine…"

Sasuke didn't remember what happened next. The memory ended in that moment. All he could recall was the feeling of relief of knowing he wasn't lost and alone with strangers anymore. They couldn't take him away because he was Daddy's son, nothing else.

* * *

As Sakura sat in Tsunade's office with the Hokage, she was the perfect example of professionalism. She didn't argue or ignored her shishou, she greeted her, read Sasuke's new medical file and asked permanent questions about his health and the surgery. When they were through every detail, Sakura excused herself and went home.

All in all, she had been very proper and polite with Tsunade, yet cold and unforgiving. She was still angry at her master and all her best intentions weren't good enough to excuse her for not telling her the truth about Sasuke.

Sakura smiled. When she followed Naruto into the hospital, she tried to imagine what Sasuke would look like after being raised by Naruto. Especially after he had come back from his training with Jiraiya, Sakura was the one who had to pick him up for the missions and drag him out of the dirty apartment. She had no idea how a human being could make so much trash. The kitchen was a mess of dirty plates on the sink, junk food and ramen cups, the putrid trash bin always filled to the top, the floor clammy and unwashed. Then there was his bedroom where she couldn't even see the floor since he preferred to toss all his clothes (most of them filthy and reeking) to the floor along books, scrolls and half eaten food.

Sasuke was organized. He was all order and neatness. Sakura tried to imagine Naruto raising an infant Sasuke and simply couldn't conciliate their different lifestyles. Honestly, she was expecting to see another Naruto wearing Sasuke's face.

She wasn't expecting to see her Sasuke-kun again.

It was a shock to see him after all these years believing him dead. It was even harder to see him as a little boy. She was sure Sasuke wasn't going to be himself until the boy she had a crush on the Academy finally talked to her again.

Sasuke didn't change. He was the same mature and cool boy she had met. The blasted Kinjutsu didn't steal him away nor did Naruto's parenting change him into someone completely different.

Sakura was sure that Sasuke, the real one, was still inside that boy. All she had to do was keep looking. For now, she was going to focus on his eyes, but she was determined to find out a way to find Uchiha Sasuke and bring him back.

That's what he would have wanted.

At sunrise, Sakura woke up, took a shower, ate her breakfast and drank a cup of coffee while re-reading the notes for the surgery. It was basic, but a very delicate surgery. Sasuke's eyes were under a lot of pressure from different chakra and, probably, because his eyes were actually Itachi's made things a lot more complicated. They needed to stabilize the chakra before Sasuke's optic nerve, artery and vein were crushed and he became irreversibly blind.

_I won't fail you, Sasuke-kun_, the young woman thought as she entered the sleepy hospital.

Sakura was supposed to go to Tsunade's office for a final discussion on the procedure and then head straight for the operating room, thus she arrived earlier. That would give her enough time to talk to Sasuke-kun again, this time alone. After seven years, they owned her a few minutes.

At Sasuke's door, Sakura wondered if he was still sleeping. It didn't matter though, she wouldn't mind to wake him up. She was about to open the door when she heard a child's laughter coming from inside. Unable to stop herself, Sakura opened the door slowly.

Sasuke was laughing while Naruto tickled him on his belly. The sight was so surreal that Sakura froze by the doorstep.

"Tou-chan! Tou-chan stop! No fair!"

"Say you surrender and I'll stop!"

"Noooaaahh! Okay! Okay! I'll surrender!"

Naruto stopped and picked up the boy, hugging him close while they both laughed. Sakura had never seen Sasuke laugh that way. He seemed so happy, so innocent… like a real child. He didn't look like himself at all.

Naruto turned his head and stopped laughing as soon as he saw her standing motionless by the door, his blue eyes growing wide.

"What's wrong, Tou-chan?" Sasuke asked with a hint of a smile on his lips, his hands hugging Naruto back.

_Tou-chan?_

Naruto's shocked expression turned into a warm smile. "Good morning, Sakura-chan."

Sakura stared at Naruto before focusing on Sasuke's confused expression as he stared into doors direction.

"Good morning," the medic-nin finally answered.

"Sakura-chan came to see you, Sasuke," Naruto told the boy.

Sasuke turned his head into her direction. "Hello, Sakura."

"Hello, Sasuke-kun."

All the words she wanted to say, all the questions vanished in Sakura's mind. It wasn't just Naruto's presence that threw her off; it was how Sasuke behaved towards him. If she didn't know any of them she would have thought they were a family.

"Oh. Sakura, you're here," a female voice said behind her. Tsunade walked past her student, eyeing her suspiciously. "Did you come to check up on Sasuke?"

"Yes… Yes, I did," she answered quickly. "I wanted to know if he had a goodnight's sleep."

"Hmm… Well, did you?" Tsunade walked towards Sasuke and kneeled beside him.

"Yes, I was keeping Dad's company. I told him that I was fine, but he wanted to stay here."

"Really? Aren't you a nice kid looking out for your father?" Tsunade answered, patting the boy's head. "Time to get ready. We'll see you in the operating room. Later I'll tell the nurses to bring you ice-cream for lunch. What do you think?"

Sasuke nodded. "Alright… Ask them to bring chocolate."

_Sasuke-kun doesn't like sweets_, Sakura thought. _He wouldn't eat ice-cream. He wouldn't ask for chocolate._

"We better be going then. We need to get ready as well," Tsunade turned to Sakura. "Right, Sakura?"

The pink-haired girl nodded slowly. "Right, right…"

"Good. We'll see you boys later."

Sakura followed her teacher, feeling her legs heavier than ever. When she looked back, she saw Sasuke grabbing Naruto's hand.

* * *

**Naruto and Sakura believe they know what's best for Sasuke, it just happens their opinions collide. Then there's what Sasuke himself wants and that is being his own person with no connections to his murderous past self.**

**Still, Sakura has a point. If they told past Sasuke that he would be turned into an infant, he would have answered that he wanted to be turned back.**

**If it had been Sakura who had just brought back a kid Sasuke as her child, Naruto wouldn't be very pleased with the situation and the lies either. It's a difficult situation and I hope I captured their points of view.**

**Thank you so much for reading and a special thanks to those who reviewed and talked to me through PM and on tumblr.**

**See ya!**


End file.
